New Years Resolution to Lifestyle Change
I am the kind of person who loves to write new years resolutions. I like to think I stick with them longer than most, but still never for the full year. A few goals and resolutions seem to be a theme nearly ever year for me:
1) Spending time with God
2) Eating better
3) Exercising
Basically – every year I try to be healthier in mind, body, and spirit. I create elaborate schedules and routines that I stick with for months at a time. But then I miss a day or two, and I feel defeated, so I quit. Is anyone else out there like that? Tell me I’m not alone in failed resolutions!
What’s Different Now?
This year is different though, and I’ve been trying to understand why. I believe it is because I have seen how life is different than it was before now that I’ve stuck to my resolutions and goals.
Until now, life had been passing by, and I’d just been accepting that mediocre is good enough for me. Stress and anxiety had been ruling my life for too long, and now is the time for my resolutions to win out. 2018 will be the year that I trust God to lessen these invisible weights I feel on myself that I have for too long assumed were just part of being an adult.
I kicked off the year joining a bootcamp for a new workout program (keep reading, I promise this
Prepping healthy meals ahead of time keeps us on track with our nutrition AND gives us time throughout the week to focus on our other goals!
isn’t an ad! ha!). This program requires 6 workouts a week, 8 hours of sleep a night, self-care, and healthy meals every 2-3 hours. I was excited for the program, but also pretty darn sure that I was setting myself up yet again with an elaborate routine that wasn’t sustainable.
The opposite has proved to be true. Everything that usually drops from my goals and resolution lists has actually gotten better! The first thing to disappear is normally my workouts, but I am in a community of women and men that encourage me daily to get it done. The next to get lost is my time with God, but since I have to get up to eat before my workout, I have no excuse but to do my devotions!
The Benefits
These things have residual good effects too. My workouts are intense, and so I have been eating healthier because my body craves to be properly fueled. My time with God is forcing me to really
I feel better mentally, spiritually, physically. Losing a little weight is just a side bonus to me!
examine parts of my life I’ve ignored, and I’m starting to see God’s direction in my life. The community of men and women started off as just names on a screen to me, but I am slowly starting to develop friendships with them. The organization of the program forces me to take time to relax (literally, I couldn’t function without extra soaking, stretching, and foam rolling) which calms my anxiety.
I never want to go back to living life at just “acceptable”. I’m learning what God wants for me in life and how a healthy body, mind, and spirit are so intertwined. I know that 2018 will be the year my goals not only stick, but become a true lifestyle change!