With January quickly coming to an end, let’s take some time and reflect. Have you kept on track with all the “New Year, New Me” goals that you have set for yourself? Have you lost some of that initial commitment and motivation you had back on January 1^st? Have you adapted and modified to make your goals more sustainable and achievable?

Sometimes with the new year, the idea of a fresh start and reset makes us a bit over-ambitious. We plan to work out 6 days a week, eat healthy every meal, get plenty of sleep, and live and breathe a healthy, active lifestyle every minute of every day. However, the reality is, we can’t change everything at once. Most people overreach with everything they want to change and achieve at once. They make too many goals, too big of goals, and things that require too much change too quickly and set themselves up for failure. If this sounds like something you did, that’s okay. We are only human and your intention to incorporate changes that lead to a more active, healthier you is what really matters. So, let’s talk reset and adapting and/or modifying your goals and plan to reach those goals to help you achieve what you want for 2023 with a few simple tips.

1. Be realistic. Look at your overall lifestyle, work hours, time for cooking/ meal prepping, time with family, etc., and think about what amount of time you realistically have and can make for working out and cooking/ meal prepping, all while getting those 8 hours of sleep you promised yourself.
2. What are your non-negotiables? What are you not willing to give up? Most people probably can’t cut their work hours to make more hours for the gym. Some people don’t want to give up their weekend night out at a restaurant. Think about things that currently in your life are things you are not willing to get rid of/ change, so that you have a better of idea of the things you are willing to change/ eliminate when goal setting.
3. Make yourself a priority. Commit to yourself. Don’t be all talk, no action. You can tell everyone what all your goals and your plan is. But goals and plans with no action will not lead to change. If you want to work out every day, figure out a way to make that happen and carve out some time. Maybe 1 hour plus the commute to and from the gym 5 days a week isn’t realistic. How about going to the gym a few days a week, going for a walk as a family some days, and doing an at-home workout once or twice a week instead? Don’t have time to cook a healthy meal every night, plus lunch and dinner. Maybe carve out a few hours one or two days a week and meal-prep so you have things on hand to put together a healthy, delicious meal. Don’t let the “I don’t have time” feeling be your excuse. If you really want to change, make time, but also be realistic with the time you can give yourself.
4. Sometimes Less is More. Over-reaching when goal setting can be the downfall. Doing a complete overhaul of your diet and workout routine at once, probably isn’t sustainable for most people. Instead, think of a few things to change at first and then once you have mastered those, add new changes. If you were working out 3x/ week, maybe now you try and workout 4-5x/ week. If you are someone who notices they tend to eat large meals even when they are full, maybe you start with mindful eating rather than cutting out foods or “going on a diet.”. It’s much easier to get a handle on just a few changes at a time and implement them into your daily life until they become a habit or routine. Those smaller changes done consistently can add up to big changes.
5. We all have slip-ups. Remember eating one greasy burger and fries is not going to make you gain all your weight back, just like eating one plate of grilled chicken and steamed veggies isn’t going to make you lose all the weight. Life happens, we go out with friends, something comes up and we miss our planned workout, we get sick, etc. That’s okay! The trick is to pick back up where you left off. Don’t use it as an excuse to just undo all the work you have already done. Be as consistent as you can with the expectation that there will be times when you go a little off the path and then get back to it.

The year is young, and you can 100% reach those 2023 goals with a simple reset. Remember to check in with yourself frequently and adjust/ modify as needed. Things don’t happen overnight. Keep at it. Consistency is key. And remember, you got this!