New Year's Resolutions

mtaratoot
mtaratoot Posts: 14,231 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
As we prepare to welcome the New Year, many of us will make resolutions. Many people on MFP will make resolutions about fitness and diet. Sometimes those resolutions will be lofty; we are setting ourselves up for failure. As like any other time of year, we need our goals to be difficult but achievable. We need them to be measurable and realistic. Almost nine of ten people fail to keep their New Year's resolutions. Once we have set good goals, we have to set ourselves up for success and celebrate the success. Perhaps most important is if/when we have a minor setback, we don't quit. We get back on the path and move towards our goals. I just read something by an author named Eric Baker about this very thing. He said:
We treat resolutions like they’re sacred vows. We make them with the gravity of a knight swearing fealty to a king. But then, when we break them, we act like we’ve just betrayed the crown. “I ate a cookie at 3 AM. I have dishonored Clan Barker.”

No, you haven’t. You just ate a cookie. The diet is not blown yet. The diet is blown when you eat the one cookie and say “So much for that resolution” — and then devour the rest of the bag. Just forgive yourself and keep going.


So remember - forgive yourself and keep going!
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Replies

  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,231 Member
    After I posted about resolutions, a friend posted something on my news feed about a yoga teacher he had. This teacher suggested that instead of resolutions, we should have intentions.

    I thought a little further about intention versus resolution.

    A resolution is a promise; it is a commitment; it is a vow. It is made with oneself. If it is made without intention, it is hollow and sure to fail. A resolution requires intention if it is to be valid.

    An intention is just that - an intent. It's not a plan. It's an idea. If I have an intention today but by tomorrow change my mind, I can change my intention. There is no commitment associated.

    Is one better than the other? I'm not sure. I think without a goal you're just goofing around. I don't think setting a goal is a bad thing. That is an intention. In order to achieve the goal, though, there has to be a commitment if that intention is a change from how you normally live your life.

    Once again - forgive yourself and move on, but move on TOWARDS YOUR GOALS!

    Have you set your goals for 2024 yet? What are they? How do you intend to achieve them? See that - intention and resolution. They go together.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 869 Member
    I have a rough idea what I want to achieve this year, but I have to clearly visualize exactly what it is and make a plan for anything to really happen. So I’m spending some time contemplating what’s really important to me, and focusing on what I can achieve with that in mind. I can’t master many things at once so the goal has to be very focused, very specific, and with a clear plan to accomplish it. Not to say I can’t or won’t be flexible when it’s not 100% perfect, but I’m already prepared for that because that’s life. Maybe I’ll let y’all know when I have a goal and a plan.

    What about you?
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,231 Member
    @Corina1143

    Very well said, and what a great approach you are setting up. I bet a bagel you are successful. Be sure to pre-log that bagel, because you're going to win this bet.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,231 Member
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    If anything is worthwhile doing, why wait until some random day to start?

    Great idea.

    This is why I actually already started on mine. As soon as I had an idea what direction I was going, I just started going there. It's not jumping the gun or cheating - it's just getting started.

    I remember what Warren Miller used to say at the end of his movies: "Remember, if you don’t do it this year, you will be a year older when you do." Same could be said for this month, this week, or today. Always start today!

    They say the best time to plant a tree (or bonsai) is 20 years ago, and the second best time is TODAY!
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,495 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    If anything is worthwhile doing, why wait until some random day to start?

    Great idea.

    This is why I actually already started on mine. As soon as I had an idea what direction I was going, I just started going there. It's not jumping the gun or cheating - it's just getting started.

    I remember what Warren Miller used to say at the end of his movies: "Remember, if you don’t do it this year, you will be a year older when you do." Same could be said for this month, this week, or today. Always start today!

    They say the best time to plant a tree (or bonsai) is 20 years ago, and the second best time is TODAY!

    Perfect. Best of luck with your goals.
  • MamaBear5445
    MamaBear5445 Posts: 61 Member
    My resolution: lose the holiday weight
    My intention: tone lower body
    My plan: ab exercises everyday
    My hope: have ab muscles showing
    My reality: I might not meet end goal, but that's okay, as long as the holiday weight is lost.

    Your turn!
  • 20Colleen13
    20Colleen13 Posts: 2 Member
    Not resolutions as much as what I’d like to achieve
    * release 20kg into the wild. First goal is 10 but 20 by September when I go on a trip. (Really bad at this so 20 is achievable but quite lofty for me.
    * Complete my Te Reo language course
    * Get my golf handicap down
    * Get in more exercise (sedentary job, mustn’t let the work be an excuse)

    Look forward to a busy year.
  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 644 Member
    This year I want to prioritise more lead climbing and will buy an ohm belay device in order to feel more confident to do so with my regular climbing buddies who are all around 25kg lighter than me.

    I also want to become a more confident cross country skier and make a start on downhill skiing.

    Finally my partner and I hope to start our family in the second half of the year, not something I can resolve to succeed at but something that helps me stay motivated to work on my health.
  • anhughes01
    anhughes01 Posts: 5 Member
    I feel like it's not without coincidence that the new year falls right after a full moon- when you are supposed to set your intention and then at the new year when you are supposed to make your resolution because I think you need both to work. With that said.

    I resolve to: wake up more conscious about how I start my day (working out first thing, eating a healthy breakfast, meditating, choosing water instead of a monster). With the intention being that by doing so I will naturally set healthy habits that I can maintain and also instill into my kids without force.
  • GBjared
    GBjared Posts: 2 Member
    This year I'm focusing on a few things...1) My overall health will be a priority - eating better, exercising regularly with a strong focus on my mental, health while becoming more centered and mindful. 2) Improving my golf handicap, I'm currently a 9.6 and and will be working to get below a 5 this year. 3) Make my yoga practice more of a priority - this will greatly help with my first two goals.

    Love me for me and those around me. Be more present. Practice with a purpose.
  • anhughes01
    anhughes01 Posts: 5 Member
    20Colleen13 wrote: »
    Not resolutions as much as what I’d like to achieve
    * release 20kg into the wild. First goal is 10 but 20 by September when I go on a trip. (Really bad at this so 20 is achievable but quite lofty for me.
    * Complete my Te Reo language course
    * Get my golf handicap down
    * Get in more exercise (sedentary job, mustn’t let the work be an excuse)

    Look forward to a busy year.

    I love that incorporated a "sport/hobby" goal into your resolutions! I think that will add an element of fun and keep you active without even trying or overthinking things and naturally get you moving. I also work a very sedentary job and know that it is very easy to use "being at work ALL day" (even though you sat on your *kitten*) as an excuse to not do anything else as an excuse- so I am proud of you for putting it out into the open to start the ball rolling!!! Go you!!!
  • anhughes01
    anhughes01 Posts: 5 Member
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    Have been working on it already, but continue working on poor mobility from years of a desk job in front of a computer and a long driving commute.

    The fact that you know, are already working on making a change, staying committed, and still speaking it into the universe so it stays relevant..... that inspiring!!! Best wishes for the new year!
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,231 Member
    I think I have settled on my focus for 2024. I'll call it "focus" instead of "resolution" or "intention." Similar idea, but a different way to think about it perhaps.

    For context, I have been working on GRATITUDE the past year, and I'm improving. It's a worthwhile focus, and I will continue to work on it. I am adding the new focus of: SELF-COMPASSION. It will NOT be easy. It will not be measurable or time bound, so it's not a SMART goal, but it' is something I will keep in the forefront of my thoughts and try to incorporate into my daily life.

    I think it is an appropriate focus even for fitness. It can help with mental fitness, and we learn more and more how physical health is linked with mental health. Not only that, but being self-critical gets in the way of "motivation" to do things that are good for the body. I put that in quotes because I often write how doing what we know we need to do for weight management and physical fitness don't require motivation any more than brushing our teeth. It just takes DOING. Self-critical thinking can for sure be a road block. It's something perhaps I should have realized many years ago, but for a long time I was too focused on work to really think about what is important. Now I'm free to do that.

    When I screw up, I'll just say, "It's OK. Everyone screws up. You learned from this. I'm still a good person." Yeah - this is going to be really hard.

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