Setting Goals for 2023

TLDR: A lot of people make new year’s resolutions and some stick with them but most often the get dropped within a few weeks. While motivation can be a great push to get started towards our goals, we must be realistic and create a plan that we can stick with in the long-term.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, friends!

I can’t believe how fast this year flew by. I feel like I say that every year but mean it just the same the next year. And what a year it’s been. I have experienced challenges and victories, losses and gains… but through it all, I feel like I can say I am proud of the progress I have made both with my health journey as well as just moving forward in life.

In the last few years, I have learned that I thrive on having a goal and a challenge. Without a vision, a target to aim for, I tend to get complacent and comfortable. And while comfort is not necessarily a bad thing, very little growth that can happen in that space. When we stay only inside our bubble, our comfort zone, we end up just going with the flow and life passes us by.

I believe wholeheartedly that there is potential for greatness within every one of us. We are here on this earth to thrive and make this world a better place by fulfilling our potential. But we can’t live up to what is possible by just sitting in our comfort zones.

With that said, do you have goals for yourself? Areas of your life (nutrition, fitness, mental health, etc.) where you see yourself in a different place than you are now? Whether you plan to make a new year’s resolution or not, setting goals is something we all do.

When setting your goal, the key is to begin with a plan and take it slow and steady. Let progress happen by taking the steps to get there one at a time. Look at your big goal. For instance, your big goal may be to lose weight and get in shape. Break this big goal up into smaller goals. What specific areas in your current lifestyle need to be changed or improved upon to reach your goal? Then attack these specific areas one or two at time. I know you’re excited and feeling motivated now, and want to jump all-in to this new lifestyle you’re creating, but trust me… I’ve been where you are many, many times. Without taking it in steps and progressing slowly, the likelihood of burnout and failure is very high. I bet it’s happened to you before.

Come up with a reasonable plan, something you can stick to both now and in the future. Once you’ve conquered the first step or two, add in another. Create the habits and consistency of each step before moving onto the next.

If you need help coming up with specific ideas for ways to improve your health, keep reading…

Creating a Nutrition Goal

So what goals do you want to set? Are you thinking of eating better for 2023? Here is a list of a few ideas, ways you can get started. When it comes to changing up the way you eat, I suggest starting with one small area, working on improving that one for a few weeks and then moving on to add the next step. Creating a plan that changes/adds one thing at time keeps you from getting overwhelmed and giving up altogether.

We are creatures of habit and we enjoy specific foods. It is what it is. Changing *everything* all at once leads to cravings and feelings of being deprived. Usually this leads to giving up and overeating on those things we swore we’d never eat again!

So choose one or two areas and master it before adding more. I promise taking baby steps WILL get you to your goal. It’s like the tortoise and hair story. Slow and steady wins the race. Pace yourself.

Creating a Fitness Goal

Are you setting any fitness goals for 2023? I think nearly everyone has set a fitness-related goal at least once in their life. I know I've set many over the years but had a hard time sticking with them. That is, until I learned that the problem with my goals wasn't me per say, it was the goal. I had the ability to get where I needed to be - I was just doing too much.

But I'm not a failure. And neither are you. We just need to set ourselves up for success the right way. We need to understand that nothing happens overnight or even in a week or two. And if we think about it, aren't our goals important enough to work towards for however long needed? I think so! Because here's the thing, we might not reach our goal overnight, but every day is another inch closer and closer… and suddenly one day it hit us - we did it - we got to where we wanted to be!

This creates a feeling of empowerment and better understanding of how much we can handle and what we can accomplish by taking it one step at a time. Wanting to be successful is awesome but having the patience to do it the right and sustainable way is the key to getting there!

Creating Wellness Goals

"Health" includes nutrition and fitness related areas, but overall health also includes our mental, social, and creative health. Areas of holistic wellness often get thrown on the backburner because... well, life. It gets busy and it seems the first thing we neglect is self-care. Over the last few years, the practice of self-care has become more common but is still an area everyone can always improve upon.

Here are a few ideas for overall wellness goals. Do any of these appeal to you? If not, what goals can you set for prioritizing your overall wellness? Don't forget to break these goals up into smaller and measurable steps for best success!

I want to wish everyone and very healthy and happy holiday! I will return to the blog after the new year. Thank you all for a fabulous 2022!