Rethinking New Year Resolutions!
Getting Healthy in 2022 May Require a Change in Attitude
It probably won’t be surprising to know that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail within the first year.i In fact, most people report failing their resolution by January 12th.ii So, if you’re struggling to keep your New Year’s Resolution or worried about choosing a resolution and failing to keep it, you’re not alone. But a change in mindset can help keep your goals more manageable.
A good start may be asking yourself, what do you think ‘being healthy’ really means? I spoke to Drew DeOrsey, a Certified Holistic Health Coach who was voted Denver’s #1 Fitness Coach on the keys to embracing good health and strategies for keeping health-related New Year’s resolutions! Drew offers his inspiring, multi-faceted approach to optimum health, which includes incorporating mind, body, spirit, and community!
Our culture often misuses the word ‘HEALTH,’ and most people don’t understand what really constitutes good health.
Does good health mean being able to run 10 miles, eat a lot of vegetables, or lift heavyweights? Or does it simply tell you’re good at running, enjoy the taste of vegetables, and have attained some strength?
Although these activities are critical components to optimum health, they are just pieces of a giant puzzle. What about your stress levels? Run all you want. Eat all the organic vegetables and grass-fed beef in the world, and your body will STILL be unhealthy if you’re always in a sympathetic stressed-out state, which can make you susceptible to many chronic diseases.
What about your mental & emotional state? You might be the strongest in the gym, but what about your emotional strength? Can you direct your focus for more than the average attention span of 8 seconds? Is your mind controlling you, or are you influencing your mind? This has a significant impact on actual health.
What about your relationships? Even having a six-pack won’t fix this. Feeling disconnected and emotionally isolated is one of the deadliest viruses known to man. Researchers have linked emotional isolation and loneliness to an increased risk of health issues including cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, weak immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, even death.
What about your connection with spirit? Train hard. Eat right. Build solid relationships. Do it all. But what if you believed it was all for nothing? What if you didn’t have a regular practice to connect you with spirit? What if you were stuck in your head and disconnected from your heart? The amount of ‘dis-ease’ this would create in your body over time can be depilating.
Our health is our most prized possession. Without it, we have nothing. Let’s begin to act accordingly.
Here are my top 4 tips to getting you there:
- Get crystal clear with three things what, why, who?
- What do you want? Like, really. Not “what do you wish you wanted?” or “what should you want? But what do YOU want? No judgment. Have fun with this.
- Why do you want it? Try going a few levels deep here. Sure, one of the reasons might be because you’re going to look hot on vacation, and you’ll get noticed more. That’s okay. But it’s not strong enough to pull you through the difficult times. Do you want it because you want to be an excellent example for your kids? Do you want to not be glued to your sofa because of physical pain? What I like to recommend is asking yourself why seven times. For example, Level One: Why do you want to lose 20lbs? Level one: because I want to look good. Level two: Why do you want to look good? Because I want to be confident in my skin. Level three: why do you want to be confident in your skin? Why is that important to you? Etc…
- Who do you need to become to achieve your goals? It’s been said that you must be willing to let go of who you think you are to become your most vital self. So, who is the strongest & confident version of you? What are their habits? What are their personality traits? What do people say about them behind their back?
- Create a plan unique to you. Don’t follow what works for your friend or your favorite social media influencer. Because they aren’t you. It would help if you had something in alignment with what you want, what you’re willing to do in service of achieving what you want, and what you are not willing to do. This is your unique path to follow.
- Get help. The best way to speed up your success is to get help from those who have achieved what you want and/or have helped others achieve what you want.
- Last but not least, no number of screw-ups or slip-ups will cause you to fail. Statistically speaking, the people who mess up the most are the most likely to succeed. Because to mess up, you must be playing the game. Those who fail are the ones who give up. Never give up on yourself.
It’s time to turn your resolutions into goals and start making real progress! Don’tDon’t forget, January 1st isn’t a magical date. You can begin in March, July, or even December. Take a journey inward and then manifest the happiest, healthiest version of you possible!
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Drew DeOrsey is a Certified Holistic Health Coach who was voted Denver’s #1 Fitness Coach
and can be contacted through any of his social media outlets:
IG: @drewdeorsey
Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bodylifeemastery
Email: drewdeorsey@gmail.com
Website: https://www.drewdeorsey.com/onlineprogram
https://www.performancehealth.com/articles/the-one-thing-you-need-to-do-to-stick-to-your-new-years-resolution