Shifting Into the Right Mindset for the New Year. The typical response to a new year is to develop far reaching goals that often end as quickly as they started. While we love the idea of goal setting and wanting to create meaningful change that impacts someone’s life, well-being, and health in many positive ways, the pressure people put on themselves often contributes to undesired outcomes and short-lived success.
So how can we change this into a more enjoyable process with a more desirable outcome?
We can change our mindset. We need to remove timelines, pressure, and negative self-thoughts. Take it one day at a time. The best goals and lifestyle changes we can create are ones that are sustainable long-term – and these take time. That being said, the rewards are typically larger and long-lasting.
Here are a few tips for shifting your mindset and for incorporating healthy practices into your life, all while reaching your wellness goals in a way that’s more enjoyable!
1. Practice positive self-talk
Negative thoughts or words about yourself doesn’t help to encourage you in reaching the goals you’re planning to achieve. Set yourself up for success by being kind to yourself. If you notice a negative self-thought coming up, stop in your tracks, acknowledge it, and change it to something more positive about yourself. This takes a lot of practice, but with time, it will be easier to let go of the negatives.
2. Shift your reasons for the changes you want to make
While weight loss (for example) may be your intention or main goal for exercising or eating healthier, it often isn’t enough to sustain it long-term. Weight loss can certainly be part of your goal, but try finding other reasons to support your decision to start this new goal. For example, exercising improves my mood and makes me feel more energized and clear-minded afterwards, which is why I like to do it regularly. Or eating more fruits and vegetables makes me feel happier and more nourished. Shifting our minds to reasons like this help to support long-term success and also in turn supports weight loss and weight management.
3. Let “moderation” be your new favorite word
We often like to “go big” when we set out on new goals in an attempt to either get results faster or because of the sudden increased motivation we experience when starting something new. In many instances though, we stop soon after we start. Instead, try to engage in the new goals you set up when you feel ready to. And if you miss a day or fall off track of your goals, it’s okay! Brush it off and start again when you are ready. No need to start on January 1st, or only on a Monday.
4. Make sure the changes you want to make fit into your lifestyle
Choose activities that you enjoy. You don’t need to go to the gym to get in physical activity if you don’t enjoy the gym, especially if you don’t have the money or the time to get a membership and use it. You can take advantage of exercise through simple activities like hikes with your dog, walks with the family, or winter outdoor activities like skating or skiing. You can also increase daily physical activity in other ways like walking to run errands if you live close by, parking further away from the entrance, or taking the stairs where possible instead of the elevator.
5. Focus on adding instead of removing or restricting
When you think about diets and diet culture, so much of the focus is often on restriction. When we restrict ourselves, we often crave those restrictions and deprive ourselves of them until eventually we cave and eat ‘all of the things’ and too much of it. Instead of cutting stuff out, try to find alternatives you enjoy or focus on adding items in. A goal for improving your diet could simply be adding in more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains into your daily meals. Naturally, you may find yourself removing other foods that you no longer enjoy as much as you start to see positive health changes associated with adding these other nutrient-rich foods into your diet.
We hope those tips were helpful to shift your mindset when it comes to setting health and wellness goals as we move into a new year! If you’re looking for support in creating nutrition goals that support you and your lifestyle, but not sure where to start, our dietitians can help give you that boost! Reach out to our team today!
