Simple Goals to Start Off the New Year

As much as I really don’t like the dark evenings, cold weather, and slushy sidewalks of winter, I do appreciate that the turning of a new year feels like a blank canvas and a fresh start for changes that I want to make.

Instead of making some big broad New Year’s resolution, I think it’s helpful to try to make small changes instead. Having small goals feels more doable, seems less intimating, and leads to more habits sticking, which helps you to reach those bigger, broader goals. Don’t let your brain tell you that these changes are too small to make a difference! Our brains like keeping things the same and are going to pull out all the stops to keep things at the status quo.

Know that no change is too small and that being successful at one will motivate you to add on another, and another, and another. As they snowball, you will see changes in your health.

Here are some ideas if you need inspiration:

• Drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day.

• Get outside everyday-Feel the sun on your face (or the icy wind!). Getting out in the sunshine, especially early in the morning, can help your circadian rhythm and improve your sleep.

• Move your body somehow each day-It doesn’t matter how, just find something that you like.

• Check out the EWG’s skin-deep site and whenever you run out of a personal care product or cleaning product, switch it out for a less toxic one. Toxins from products can affect our hormones and increase inflammation.

• Plan your meals for the week-Being prepared leads to better eating choices.

• Go to bed earlier. Ideally by 10:30. I know that’s specific, but our bodies do most of their healing starting at 11:00 until 2 a.m. When you are awake after 11:00 you miss out on valuable time for your body to repair.

• No screens at least one hour before bed-The blue light from screens tricks our bodies into thinking it’s noon, affecting our circadian rhythm and production of melatonin. It makes us feel alert when we should be feeling sleepy. Screens before bed, not only make it harder to fall asleep, but have have also been shown to impair deep sleep.

• Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables- More veggies is something most people, myself included, can improve on. The benefits are too many to list here.

• Cut down on alcohol- Pick a number per week and stick to it. The fewer the better. For woman, three drinks a week drastically increases the risk of breast cancer.

• Start a gratitude journal-It’s been shown that gratitude is connected with an overall sense of wellbeing and can improve feelings of anxiety.

• Start meditating or make it a habit-Meditation helps to calm the nervous system and gets us out of the “fight-or-flight” state that severely affects our health.

• Read every label for grams of sugar-Just being aware of how much sugar you're eating can help you to make positive changes. Shoot for no more than 20 grams in a day.

I said these were smaller goals, but know that simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy! Change is hard and takes work, but you can do it!

Once you pick a goal to work on, anticipate how you’re going to sabotage yourself and plan for it. Yes, you will try to sabotage yourself! And if you really think about it, you know how it will happen and the excuses you'll have. But once you figure out how, you can plan for it and set yourself up for success!

If you know that your excuse for not exercising will be that you ran out of time, then make a plan for when it’s going to work best to fit it in, and put it on your calendar.

If you have trouble planning meals because it feels overwhelming, then commit to planning three days or start by just planning dinner. Buy yourself a cute notebook to write it in or fun new pens if that makes it more enjoyable for you.

If your goal is to drink more water, come up with ways that make it easier to follow through. Maybe you measure out all the water you want to drink the night before so you’ve got water bottles ready for the next day. Maybe you find a water tracking app if you find that motivating. This also might look like setting out your workout clothes the night before so that it’s one less step in the morning.

At the end of the week celebrate your wins! This is so important! Don’t give up because it didn’t work perfectly. We’re not going for perfection; we’re going for taking steps in the right direction. Getting outside 2 times during the week is better than zero, for example. Celebrate those two times! Think about what you need to change to make it work better next week.

I hope this is the year you start making some small, imperfect change, in the right direction.