Resolutions can be tough, especially if they’re a total 180 from your regular routine. We all have different reasons for making resolutions and why we didn’t succeed in keeping them in the past. What might work for one person isn’t necessarily going to work for the next; so we’ve compiled five easy daily habits we use to stay energized, focused, and prepared for whatever life throws our way. Sometimes progress is in small, simple steps!
Step 1: Plan Ahead
A lack of time is often the number one reason people give for why they couldn’t stick to their personal resolutions. You can easily eliminate that excuse by planning ahead. Make sure you carve out specific time slots in your day if you’ve vowed to workout, read, or be better at calling your mom back. If you want to wake up earlier but always find yourself reaching for the snooze button, then leave your phone on the other side of your bedroom the night before so you’re forced to get out of bed.
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A super common New Year’s resolution we hear is “I want to eat healthier.” Once again, a lack of time can rear its ugly head in the morning and convince us to stop at the coffee shop on our way to work for a latte and a pastry. You’ve heard it before, but meal prepping even in the smallest sense really does make a difference. Protein shakes, overnight oats, and muffins can all be prepped in advance so you can grab-and-go, saving your tired self precious minutes (and energy) in the morning grind.
Try prepping your snacks throughout the day by portioning reusable containers of fruits and vegetables, nuts, or dark chocolate to munch on throughout the day. You really want to avoid that mid-afternoon slump from low blood sugar.
Step 2: Make Short To-Do Lists
Who doesn’t love the satisfaction that comes from crossing tasks off a to-do list? You feel so accomplished! Now, imagine finishing the whole list. Long lists of tasks can seem insurmountable and cause us to get discouraged. More often than not, this leads to us abandoning the mission all together. So, scrap them and replace them with short, manageable ones you can conquer all in one day. Be sure to prioritize individual tasks so you can focus fully on each project one at a time before moving onto the next one. This will make the list seem more achievable. Plus, completing a list will leave you feeling accomplished at the end of the day.
Step 3: Always Carry a Water Bottle
Staying hydrated not only positively affects your skin, hair, and the way your body itself functions, it also helps our cognitive abilities. When you’re properly hydrated, you’ll find that it’s easier to make decisions and stay focused so you can tackle the day and keep on track with those resolutions. If you carry a water bottle with you it gives you that visual reminder “oh! I need a drink” when it would otherwise slip your mind. If you’re the type of person who hates water, try to infuse your water with berries, cucumbers, or mint to give your taste buds a little something extra without dehydrating yourself the way other flavoured drinks do (we’re looking at you, coffee and soda).
If shopping each week for ingredients for your morning smoothies involves more planning than you have time for, try powdered proteins or powdered vitamin formulas that you can easily add to the blender or your water bottle. Replenishing your body’s precious electrolytes and vitamins which you lose throughout the day is an essential habit to keep yourself healthy. If you want a recommendation, right now we’re really into Vital Proteins because they offer gummies as well as powdered mixes. If you're in the market for simple smoothie recipes, check out Valeria's curated E-Book of her favorites.
Step 4: Tell People About Your Goals
When we’re vocal about our goals, it adds a level of accountability we simply don’t have when keeping aspirations to ourselves. If people know we’re planning to save money or invest more in our education or health, they can be more supportive in our goals by not asking us to go shopping or eat-out at that expensive restaurant, for example. We also feel more personal accountability by not wanting to let others see us ditch our resolutions needlessly. If no one but you knows you plan on cutting out sugar on weekdays, then no one’s going to encourage you to go for the bottle of water at dinner instead of that cocktail. Plus, reaching goals is more fun when you have a friend working towards it alongside you. Talk to your support system and see if anyone has similar goals you can help each other out with by sharing recipes, apps, products, and milestones.
Pictured: Verie, Nova Short & Peyton Long Sleeve in Sage, Rey Bra & Finn Legging in Mist.
Step 5: Accept Setbacks
Arguably the most important thing to remember when making a resolution is that you are going to have setbacks. Resolutions aren’t about being followed perfectly; they’re about making conscious decisions to try to better ourselves and putting legitimate effort into doing so. When you go into a journey accepting nothing less than perfection, you’re just setting yourself up for failure and negative feelings will not encourage you to keep trying. If you accept that a mistake does not mean you’re a failure and it's the end of your resolution, you can allow yourself to get back on track and learn how to avoid making that same mistake in the future.
Read next: 6 Steps To A Healthy Mind And Body (Especially During Hard Times)
