2018 - Start Small

Each year has brought so many changes. Some welcome, some not so much.  I'm going to make some intentional changes this year to the way I do things, in order to become a happier, healthier version of me. 

This year I’m trying something different.  START SMALL.  My overall theme for 2018. 

Normally as the new year rolls around I always make my resolutions: lose weight and become healthier.  I’ve never actually wrote down these goals or any steps involved as to how I would accomplish this.  Instead, I cut out every unhealthy food I can think of, eat salads for every meal and try to work out an hour every day.  I start off right on track and then about a week or two (if I make it past day 1) later, I fall off the wagon and binge eat. Any changes I made were reverted to their pervious ways and I stop working out for weeks at a time.

After a lot of reading and trying to understand exactly why I haven’t been hitting my goals (seems kind of obvious when you type it out), I’ve realized that they are not specific enough and I always try to do everything all at once.  If it comes to eating healthier, I completely avoid anything bad for me.  As anyone who’s ever done this knows, it only lasts a day or two before you give in to your temptations of the cookie and chocolate bar or even Big Mac meal at McDonalds, are just too hard to resist and then you feel guilty and may quit thinking it’s all or nothing.  Because of this past approach, I’ve decided to make a few small changes this year that I think will have an overall benefit to my health.  Changes that I can stick to.  Minor changes I can make each month to improve my overall wellbeing.    It’s been hard for me to narrow down exactly what changes I want to make each month that would have the greatest overall impact.

Each month, I'm going to set one personal goal and work towards perfecting that and creating healthy new habits. 

This started last year when I decided to make one small change towards how I go about working out. Half way through the year, I decided I wanted to make a habit to be consistent working out.  I’ve always been pretty active but it’s never consistent.  Summers I’m always moving constantly and working hard to get in shape (bathing suit season being my main motivation) and also the fact it’s so much easier to be active when it’s light outside and you can be outdoors.   I'd work out very hard all summer and then come October when the shorts and tank tops go away and the sweats and sweatshirts come out, I'd get lazy and enjoy all the hearty foods that come with fall.
 
At first I decided I wanted to start working out 4-5 days a week consistently.  I started small.  I just wanted to do some kind of intentional workout.  In the beginning to keep to it I decided I could make time for a 20 min workout.  I used videos on YouTube, Popsugar Fitness being my favorite.  They have 10 minute workouts you can do and choose as many as you want to do.  Even when I was super tired, I convinced myself to do just one 10 minute workout, which was enough that once I got going I always found the motivation to make it to my 20 minute goal.  Sometimes I went farther but I didn’t want to try to do too much or it was too daunting to even begin.  I'm sure everyone is aware, getting started is the hardest part.  After 2 weeks or so of doing this, I felt stronger, healthier and I had more energy.  I realized I had started to create a habit of working out.  If I didn’t get at least 20 minutes in, I felt like something was missing from my day.  It was a nice way to relieve stress too and generate more energy.  I also noticed I was sleeping better too. 
 
A lot of people say they don't have time.  If you don't make it a priority, you won't find it either.  I have 3 kids:  4 1/2 year old twin girls and a 16 month old baby girl.  I also work full time as an algorithmic trader.  I'm out of the house from 6:30am to 4:15pm for work.  When I get home, I'm responsible for getting dinner on the table and managing three young kids.  My husband usually comes home after dinner after it is all cooked and clean up .  He's not around much so trying to find time to work out is tough.  I've found at 7pm when my baby goes to sleep, I can get a quick workout in while the twins play together. 
 
Fast forward a few months later and here I am up to 30 to 50 minute work outs at least 5 days a week.   I've been consistent every week.  I shoot for 150 minutes a week and it's an attainable goal.  Going slowly has helped me build the habit and I never try to push it.  It’s the middle of winter and I weigh surprisingly the same as I weighed during the very active summer months.  I’ve got so much more muscle tone and have so much more energy.  I've never been able to keep the pounds off in the winter, especially through Christmas and the New Year.  This has made me a firm believer in the power of habit and the power of small changes. 

 

I haven't been overwhelmed by my workouts. They are all done in my living room or in my neighborhood which makes it harder for me to make excuses.  Because this small habit has already changed my life in so many ways, I want to start making small changes that become habits and have the power to change my life.  Each month I will be working on only 1 new goal.