This January I Will....
themedalist
Posts: 3,218 Member
And just like that... it's a new day, a new month, a new year, and now a brand new DECADE!
Happy New Year! May 2020 be filled with health and happiness for you and your family. Just imagine what we can all accomplish this year! I'm certain we will be celebrating a lot of healthy new habits this year. Why am I so sure? Because any goal takes more than just desire: it takes a realistic plan with small, specific, do-able actions steps, and the commitment to see the plan through, even when it's difficult. Plus it takes support and a cheering squad. Plan + Action Steps + Cheering Squad = THIS GROUP!
If you are joining us for the first time, a very hearty welcome! We are glad you are here. Let us know what your goal is for this month and how we can help. And just a suggestion: set a reminder to check-in periodically with us. Check-in daily, weekly, or as often as works for you, but let us know how you are progressing! We're here to support and encourage you, but if you don't post, we can't cheer you on!
And if you're joining us midway through the month, no need to wait until February. Begin now and you'll be that much closer to achieving your goal. If you're looking for ideas, our list of previous challenges may come in handy.
Let's hear what you'll be prioritizing this month!
Try to frame your goal along these lines:
1. My goal for this month (This January I will...")
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible)
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks such as a fist pump, saying "I'm awesome", or a star/check mark on your calendar help cement the habit you are trying to build.)
6. What help do you need from us?
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January?
Let's do this! Let's make 2020 a terrific year!
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Replies
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I'm still pondering what I want to work on this month. Will post soon!1
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I’ve got to admit, I still rush through eating and often eat while doing another activity such as eating lunch at my desk or eating dinner while watching TV. And some of this is OK. Eating lunch at my desk allows me to spend my lunch break going for a walk. But most of the time, it just distracts from my enjoyment of what I’m eating. So for this month, i’m going to focus on having at least one meal a day where I set the distractions aside and just enjoy the meal.
1. This January I will enjoy at least one mindful meal a day.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: no competing distractions and setting aside a few extra minutes to slow down and really enjoy my foods.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: Putting a reminder up daily on my kitchen whiteboard and I will jot down at the end of the day which meal I ate mindfully.
4. How often will you do your new habit: Daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? A hearty “Done!” And then in the evening I’ll add a check mark to the whiteboard.
6. What help do you need from us? Encouragement
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? I think I will enjoy pausing for one meal a day. I enjoy my Daily Calm breaks, and I see this as an extension of that.5 -
Hi @themedalist
I have fallen out of most of my healthy habits over the last year so I am going to start fresh with an oldie but a goodie.
1. This January I will drink at least 2 cups of water for a total of 64oz daily.
2. The small action I'll be taking to accomplish this goal: I will drink 1 cup before lunch and 1 cup before bed.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: Putting a daily reminder on my whiteboard.
4. How often will you do your new habit: Daily
5. What reward will you give yourself for doing your habit? A big "Ah!" and some loud lip-smacking when I finish a cup and a star on my calendar.
6. What help do you need from us: Encouragement and congratulations.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? I love water and not only will this help my waistline, but it will also keep me hydrated and satisfied.
And I've just finished my first cup of the day and it's only just past 9:30 in the morning!7 -
1. This January use food as my medicine!
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: Be more conscious in what I'm putting in my body.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: tracking all foods that I've eaten.
4. How often will you do your new habit: daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? Little cheer woohoo!
6. What help do you need from us? positive reinforcement!
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? Feeling stronger!5 -
December really got away from me and I am looking forward to settling down and focusing on me for a while. I want to continue with two of my past habits - being tidy and adding an extra bit of exercise everyday. Both of these have been really great for me. New to January is my focus on food. I am playing around with the Whole 30 program, more or less. I am not planning on taking a rigid approach but want to try to be as healthy as I can and see where it takes me.
1. This January I will eat foods that are healthy for me.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: educating myself, researching food recipes and being prepared with healthy food options.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: Spending time on web sites related to health and interacting with people that support what I am doing.
4. How often will you do your new habit: Daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? I don't know and will have to figure this out.
6. What help do you need from us? Encouragement and accountability
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? Success is knowing that I stayed committed to doing my best. It would also be nice if there was a noticeable difference.
Jan 1; Tidy, EE, W30
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I'm getting back into the habit of checking in and logging on MFP after a long hiatus. In December I've started exercising regularly and managed to actually lose a little weight over the holidays. I'm heading into 2020 with some good habits. Happy New Year everyone!
1. This January I will: bump up the length and intensity of my workouts- without injury.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: adding 15 minutes and more hills on my walks, complete at least 3 online cardio/weights workouts a week
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: put them on my calendar and assess weekly
4. How often will you do your new habit: daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? Big ol' smiley face on calendar!
6. What help do you need from us? kudos and/or rebukes encouraged
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? no sidelining injuries and getting more fit (losing a few pounds would also be amazing)5 -
1. This January I will log everything I eat.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: write it down immediately or take a phone pic and log later.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: eating=logging
4. How often will you do your new habit: daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? I will say “this is what I need to do to reach my long term goal”.
6. What help do you need from us? Encouragement
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? I will have held myself accountable every day giving me the confidence that I can do this.6 -
1. This January I will walk 10,000 steps more than 3 days a week.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal take my dog for a walk daily, take walks during my lunch break, and keep track of my steps with my Fitbit.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit hanging the dog leash next to the back door, putting reminders on my phone, and having reminders on my Fitbit.
4. How often will you do your new habit? Preferably daily, at the very least every other day.
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? Taking a nice, long, warm shower and snuggling with my fuzzy blanket while watching a favorite movie or TV show.
6. What help do you need from us? Encouragement and accountability.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? It looks like losing 5lbs. by January 31, 2020 between healthy eating and walking 10,000 steps almost daily I should be able to get to that goal!4 -
I did it!
Day 1 was a success! Hit almost double my water goal! Woohoo!5 -
Happy 2020 everyone! I'm starting fresh since I got derailed so many weeks/months the last half of last year. So, I will be working on logging every bite I eat in January. This is something I have to do in order to move forward in this journey for health and until I get this down as a daily habit, I feel I won't succeed. So.....
1. My goal for this month is to journal every bite I eat...the good, bad & ugly!
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: I will log my meal or snack before consuming if possible. If I don't have time, I will take a picture of it so I don't forget about it later.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: Food. Food = Food journal
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible) Daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? I will Complete my Food Diary on MFP and smile when I see "how much I will weigh in 5 weeks". I will also put a smiley sticker on the date in my bullet fitness journal.
6. What help do you need from us? your encouragement and advise when I'm struggling is always so welcome!
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? Ideally, I will have a good handle on my triggers and go-to foods. Also, successfully completing this goal in January will allow me to pick a different one in February! An NSV I hope to reach in January is to be able to fit into my wedding ring again. It's been 8 years since I've been able to wear it.
@themedalist I love your intro...especially describing this group! We got this. I'm so excited for another year of goals with you all! xoxo
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I’m so excited about the new decade! I think it will be my best decade ever!🤞!
I’ve been logging everything the past few days and am surprised at how many times I’ve reached for something and then put it back. It just didn’t seem worth having to log that piece of candy or second cookie so I passed it up. Logging is helping with awareness and accountability so it should help me reach my goals. I’m babysitting this week and I usually really struggle with stress eating but so far, so good. The kids are so good and getting older so that helps. I love seeing all of the new and continuing goals here and some new names, too. Happy 2020 to all!5 -
@HEGoddard0928 Good job on meeting your water goal on day 1🙂 Keep letting us know how it’s going. I need to drink more water and less coffee! But maybe another month🤔2
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@PackerFanInGB I stole your idea from a previous month about taking a food pic when I can’t write it down immediately, so thanks for the tip! And I haven’t been able to wear my wedding ring since I was pregnant back in 1978! I think it’s a size 6. It does fit my pinky finger now though🤪2
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This January I will log what I eat each day.4
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@nebslp Thank you! I met my goal yesterday too! I actually did double it that day! Lol. I'm having a bit of trouble with the water today but I know that I can get this done!4
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@PackerFanInGB Good choice for this month! I haven't been able to wear my wedding ring for about 4 years. We got married 5 years ago. I was dumb and got a super small size. And then Matt lost his so we ended up getting silicone rings that actually fit and when we both lose weight it only cost about $4 to get a 4 pack of the next size down. Lol3
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I met my goal today of recording everything I ate. Bonus - met calorie goal, walked, and drank my water.4
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Happy New Year to everyone.
2020 Goals: I plan to establish sustained healthy habits .
* Exercise 6 days per week, Sunday is my rest day.
* Average 10,000 daily steps each week.
* Daily log my meals and review the nutrition summary. I signed up for the Premium option.
* Most importantly be kind to myself and be more mindful of what I say and do.3 -
Met my water goal yesterday and am almost there today! Woohoo!3
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This January, I will have a staged approach to my goals.
Stage 1: Goal 1: CALORIES
Reason: I need to get used to a lower calorie target per day, I think.
I will focus on keeping my calories under 2,000 for 7 days. I did this Jan 2 & 3, so 5 more to go.
1 🥦 3 sweets, 2 hi protein bars
2 😍. 🍓 2 sweets, 1 hi protein bar
3 😍. 🥗 1 sweet, 1 hi protein bar
4
5
6
7
8
Stage 2: Goal 2: Vegetables/Salads/Berries
Reason: Better health, nutrients, more satisfying meals, fiber...
Eat a minimum of five 3-oz servings of veg/fruit per day. I’ve actually done that each day, so I guess I’ll begin recording this now, but my FOCUS is my calorie goal.
Stage 3: GOAL 3: Decrease Sweets over Time to 1 a day, pre-planned.
Reason: They creep up in number over time. Look at Jan 1 above!!
Eat no more than one sweet item per day. (82% dark chocolate does not count)
I haven’t tried this approach before, but I think it will work.
I’m just recording these now...as veggies/salads will be my goal after calorie goal has been met.4 -
1. This January I will cut back on my use of sugar
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: Start the day with more protein
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: Keep alternative sweeteners handy
4. How often will you do your new habit:daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? Put a star on my calendar
6. What help do you need from us? Positive support, encouragement
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? Enjoying food without added sugar2 -
HEGoddard0928 wrote: »Met my water goal yesterday and am almost there today! Woohoo!
Good for you, @HEGoddard0928!1 -
I sure am enjoying reading your goals for this month! Let’s do this...let’s make 2020 our best year yet!
I am thrilled to see so many new faces, and just as heartened to see our regular members back in the new year!
I wanted to share a few quotes about habits that James Clear shared in his newsletter this week. I think he’s spot on:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits that will get you there.
This year, spend less time focusing on outcomes and more time focusing on the habits that proceed the results.”
And from F.M. Alexander:
“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.“
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I’m doing pretty well with my goal of one mindful meal a day. I’m taking a cue from so many of you and keeping track of my daily progress in a chart on my whiteboard. I will post a picture of the whiteboard soon when I have a complete week.1
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January Goal:1. My goal for this month is to journal every bite I eat...the good, bad & ugly!
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: I will log my meal or snack before consuming if possible. If I don't have time, I will take a picture of it so I don't forget about it later.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: Food. Food = Food journal
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible) Daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? I will Complete my Food Diary on MFP and smile when I see "how much I will weigh in 5 weeks". I will also put a smiley sticker on the date in my bullet fitness journal.
6. What help do you need from us? your encouragement and advise when I'm struggling is always so welcome!
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? Ideally, I will have a good handle on my triggers and go-to foods. Also, successfully completing this goal in January will allow me to pick a different one in February! An NSV I hope to reach in January is to be able to fit into my wedding ring again. It's been 8 years since I've been able to wear it.
1/2/2020:
1/3/2020:
1/4/2020:
1/5/2020:
So far so good!
@nebslp Taking the pics helps me! I tend to forget the mini snacks I graze on and I need to be more mindful of what I eat and how high that calorie count goes. I think I could probably get my wedding ring on my pinky finger too but I don't! LOL! Maybe I should...that would be a constant reminder of my NSV. Thanks for the idea!
@HEGoddard0928 Glad to see I'm in good company! LOL! I'm refusing to go buy a silicone one though. Good for you hitting your water goals. As you know...that's one of my biggest fights! I cannot seem to do it! That'll be February's goal probably.
@themedalist I love the quotes. Very inspirational. I saw one very similar to the last one you posted and it struck me as really pertinent to our journey on this thread. Great minds... LOL
Have a great day everyone!1 -
This January, I will have a staged approach to my goals.
Stage 1: Goal 1: CALORIES 😍
Reason: I need to get used to a lower calorie target per day, I think.
I will focus on keeping my calories under 2,000 for 7 days. I did this Jan 2 & 3, so 5 more to go.
1 🥦 3 sweets, 2 hi protein bars
2 😍. 🍓 2 sweets, 1 hi protein bar
3 😍. 🥗 1 sweet, 1 hi protein bar
4 😍. 🥦. 1 sweet, 2 hi protein bars
5
6
7
8
Stage 2: Goal 2: Vegetables/Salads/Berries
Reason: Better health, nutrients, more satisfying meals, fiber... 🥗🥦🥕🍓🥒🍅
Eat a minimum of five 3-oz servings of veg/fruit per day. I’ve actually done that each day, so I guess I’ll begin recording this now, but my FOCUS is my calorie goal.
Stage 3: GOAL 3: Decrease Sweets over Time to 1 a day, pre-planned.
Reason: They creep up in number over time. Look at Jan 1 above!!
Eat no more than one sweet item per day. (82% dark chocolate does not count)
I haven’t tried this approach before, but I think it will work.
I’m just recording these now...as veggies/salads will be my goal after calorie goal has been met.
I’m glad I went through & acknowledged all the habits that are engrained and the ones that I needed to get back on track. This made me feel less confused & overwhelmed.
Focusing on one at a time is working.
Down 1 pound so far.2 -
themedalist wrote: »I sure am enjoying reading your goals for this month! Let’s do this...let’s make 2020 our best year yet!
I am thrilled to see so many new faces, and just as heartened to see our regular members back in the new year!
I wanted to share a few quotes about habits that James Clear shared in his newsletter this week. I think he’s spot on:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits that will get you there.
This year, spend less time focusing on outcomes and more time focusing on the habits that proceed the results.”
And from F.M. Alexander:
“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.“
Amen!
Thank you @themedalist !
This should be part of our educational system!1 -
Logging daily has been going well. My sister and I went out for lunch today to celebrate after finding a rare bird for our neck of the woods (Lewis’ Woodpecker) this morning!! I boxed half of my lunch, took it home, and ate the other half tonight. My primary goal of logging has a couple other parts. I log my food for the day and record the calorie number in a notes page. Then before I go to bed I record the calories burned from my Fitbit. My plan is to keep the calories eaten lower than the burned. I’m not restricting any foods and not focusing on macros this month, just the calories. So far it’s been a simple and successful process, but i really have to be mindful about what I pick up throughout the day.4
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Thank you for this group! I plan on exercising daily, if not daily then at least 5x a week. I plan to track my foods, track my fitness. I got a Fitbit so I’ll start using it to track steps and other important things. I’ll weigh myself once a week. I’ll try to help motivate my team and give support to others, hoping to get the same in return. I’d like to stop eating and buying sugary and carb snacks. Make healthier eating habits and choices. I will try not to beat myself up but give myself more self love and self care.4
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SheilaCali wrote: »I'm getting back into the habit of checking in and logging on MFP after a long hiatus. In December I've started exercising regularly and managed to actually lose a little weight over the holidays. I'm heading into 2020 with some good habits. Happy New Year everyone!
1. This January I will: bump up the length and intensity of my workouts- without injury.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: adding 15 minutes and more hills on my walks, complete at least 3 online cardio/weights workouts a week
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: put them on my calendar and assess weekly
4. How often will you do your new habit: daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? Big ol' smiley face on calendar!
6. What help do you need from us? kudos and/or rebukes encouraged
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? no sidelining injuries and getting more fit (losing a few pounds would also be amazing)
@themedalist, a hearty amen to your quotes. I've often used the small steps approach to bettering myself. Lots of days of good habits will catch up to us. I've taken a few of those 45 minute walks, and felt rather tired all weekend. My weight is the same, but I'm sleeping better since I started exercising again. So many benefits to working out, so I'm counting that as a non-scale victory. Any one else have any non-scale victories to share? 2
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