HOW TO STICK TO A RESOLUTION OR GOAL
It’s one month and change into the New Year and statically speaking, 10% of the 86% of the U.S. population that made new years resolutions have not stuck to them.
For some of us, this is great news. We’re pretty happy to have our gym elliptical back, a shorter line at the Whole Foods salad bar and workout classes that aren’t mat to mat with newbie ‘resolutioners’ convincing themselves that this year, is going to be different.
Selfish motives aside for a moment, why is it so hard for us to stick to our resolutions? And let’s be real, which we can be now that our attempt at being gluten free or paleo failed when we came across that glazed croissant, we don’t just break resolutions, we often give up on a daily basis on ourselves and this inability to “stick to it” trickles over into our projects and relationships.
Are we just a demotivated lazy bunch?
No way, we’re hustlers, entrepreneurs and creators. We’re just sometimes hustlers, entrepreneurs and creators with very engrained habits. What stops us from following through isn’t that we don’t have enough strength or will power; it’s just that we have a stronger, louder, habit that is conflicting with a new behavior we’re trying to transition into.
Our mission now becomes to take our ‘resolution’, like working out daily, or joining the Raleigh Raw Cleanse Club, and place that activity in the slot of one of our ‘slacker’ habits like hitting snooze, going to happy hour twice a week or those coveted weekend Netflix binges. Really, we have to be willing to sit through an uncomfortable two-week transition period and allow our mind and body to get “addicted” to a new behavior.
A Cross Fit junkie? Kale Me Maybe rehab program? Sounds too good to be true right. But we all know those people who do work out consistently or take care of their bodies by eating high quality foods. It’s not that these people are wired with more energy, it’s just that they have put these positive rituals into their life as habits, they no longer fight with themselves about to do or not to do, because it’s part of their routine.
If we set habits, like gym everyday after work, or a green juice first thing every morning, our brain will start to attach that behavior as a release for emotions like stress and overwhelm. That’s right we’ll actually start craving our workouts and healthy snack hacks in place of old activities that only amplify the negative vibes. Here’s three ways we’ve picked up from hangin’ with the movers and shakers in the research triangle on how to create and maintain healthy habits.
THREE WAYS TO CREATE (AND SUSTAIN) A HEALTHY HABIT
DO A JUICE CLEANSE. Not only will you have pounds of fresh, organic, local produce fueling your system but you'll also get a smack dab reality check on your ‘habit energy’ around food. Putting ourselves on any reset program, like a cleanse, opens up our unconscious habits around food and snacking and gives us the opportunity to feel optimal and have the energy to make different choices.
BE A PART OF A HIGH VIBE COMMUNITY. We’re way into CrossFit and Yoga over here, one because they’re awesome, time efficient workouts but more importantly because they have communities of people who care about feeling good and pushing through their limits.
This is also why we’re so pumped about the Cleanse Club, just as much as we want to flood the body of our juicers with the highest quality super power liquid, we equally care about connecting all the disruptors we meet who are creating positive change in our community. Make sure to hit up our Cleanse Club group and share your story and goals.
TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME: “I’m never going to touch a carb again!” We proclaim and well, that just might be impossible and slightly absurd. We set ourselves up for failure and then feel like a failure. Make goals bite size. Commit to a week, or a month of a challenge and then you’ll feel accomplished and motivated to stick to it.
We’re counting on you to be the exception to the resolution-breaking fad so that you can be up to big things in the world and inspire the people around you to do the same, just as long as they promise not to swipe that last treadmill from us during gym rush hour.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ali Van Putten is a blogger, entrepreneur, and obsessive compulsive juicer who collaborates with the Raleigh Raw crew to spread the good vibes. She is a certified Holistic Health Coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and a Jivamukti Yoga Teacher. Her site Createapreneur provides tools for creative entrepreneurs to build their brand, business and most importantly, to live life outside of the conventional lines.
