by Luci Gabel | Featured Contributor
The word going around these days is that New Year’s resolutions are bogus.
Because most of them have been forgotten by February. And, why make a promise you know you won’t keep?
I disagree. January is a perfect and natural time
to take inventory of where you’ve been and how far you’ve come in the last year, decide where you want to go next, and the best way to move forward in the year ahead.
The problem with new years resolutions isn’t that they’re made in January, it’s that they’re often approached in a whimsical way, without giving much thought or planning.
If you’ve got goals to change your body or your health this year, take them on like you take on goals for your business.
As a businesswoman, it’s likely you know…
1. A goal has the best chance of success if the whole team is behind it.
It’s the same with your health and physical goals, except you’re the most important part of that team. Maybe you’re the whole team.
The first step is to ask yourself, “Is this something I really want—or am I just doing it because it’s expected of me?” The answer to that question will determine if you’ve even got a chance.
If it turns out that physical change is something you do want this year, take a step back and ask yourself why. Then, do yourself a favor and don’t judge your reasons. Accept them and use them to your advantage. Your deepest desires will motivate and drive you far into the future, even when things get rocky.
(If you’re still searching for your deepest reason, I’ve listed the top three reasons women desire to make physical changes below.)
2. You’ve got to allocate resources to make change happen.
If becoming healthier this year is a shift you want, you’ll need to be realistic and plan to invest some time and energy into it.
You must take some time to exercise. You’ll need to invest some energy into eating healthy food even when it’s not readily available. But, it doesn’t need to be an unreasonable amount of time, and you can begin by taking small steps to ease into it.
3. Measurable results can take longer than you expect.
But, if you have a good plan and stick with it, you’ll have the best chance for success.
Outward physical change usually doesn’t show up in the mirror, or on the scale, as fast as we want. But, if you’re doing the right thing, your body will go through many subtle changes on the inside: our heart, bones and blood vessels, our muscle structure, even our DNA changes when we eat healthily and exercise regularly. You’ll see more outward and obvious changes in time.
4. No two entities are exactly the same.
Even if you model your business exactly after another, it’ll look different.
Like in business, change in the body is complex. Even if you follow your friend’s, trainer’s, or dietitian’s plan to a “T”, your time to reach your goals and your results will be different than everyone else’s. And you need to be patient through it all keeping that in mind.
5. More good results come with more time.
When you’ve been in a business for years, you can keep doing what works with greater ease because you’ve got the experience and the infrastructure to do it. Similarly, new healthy habits become easier to maintain with time. And, your body can keep changing in positive ways year after year.
Some of my clients of 40, 50, 60, even 70 see physical capabilities in their bodies that they never saw before (even when they were in their 20s) because they weren’t as physically active or they didn’t have the best eating habits. It pays to keep a good thing going.
Top three reasons most women decide to make lasting physical changes:
- To feel comfortable in our bodies. Ultimately, we want to feel good. We want to feel as young as possible for as long as possible, to minimize pain, and to move with ease. We even want to feel a little superhuman now and then. You can only get this kind of stuff by being fit and healthy.
- To look our best. We want to feel attractive to our spouses and other loved ones. And we want to feel confident about how we look when we’re in front other people, whether it’s at a party, on a stage, or in a board room.
- To avoid illness and disease. Once we get to 30 or 40 years of age, most of us realize we don’t want the illnesses that our parents or grandparents had. And one way to prevent many, many diseases and even many of the problems that aging can bring is by having a healthy diet and exercise.
The bottom line:
Physical change, like change in business, takes an investment in time and resources. That investment needs only be as much as you can afford at first, and it can grow if you want it to. If you’re personally invested in the change, it’ll be easier to stick with. And, don’t expect to see big changes right away (even though you might). But do expect results, and even some pleasant surprises, as you stick with a solid plan.
Luci Gabel- MA, MBA, ACE, ACSM – Exercise Physiologist, nutritionist, content manager and owner of LuciFit, LLC.
Luci helps clients and students drop the fads, sort out the myths from reality, and understand food and fitness in a way that works for their body, and for life. She has over 20 years of experience working with a wide range of clients, from professional athletes to the business savvy woman. You can count on Luci to be your truth-teller, and your myth dispeller when it comes to mass media information about food and exercise. And she’ll always be a cheerleader on your side!
