Hey everyone! Let's talk about why it can be so hard to meet our goals.
Do you set goals at the beginning of the year hoping to accomplish them all by the year’s end? Have you found that when you look back on the goals you’ve set, you may not have accomplished that many? Would you believe me if I told you that goals only become successful when they become habits? Here’s why…
If we need to meet a goal, how long does it take to become a habit? Good question! A habit takes 59-70 days (about 2 and a half months) to form. Besides a goal becoming a habit, there are times when we set too many goals for ourselves which end up being unrealistic and unattainable. We like to bite off more than we can chew, but it can result in feeling bad about the goals that weren’t reached. We’ve all been there, right?
Remember that time you promised yourself that you would work out 6 days a week or eat healthily every day? Let’s be honest, if you have no prior experience of working out or eating healthy consistently, that goal becomes unrealistic. Now, that is a terrific goal to set later when you have made working out and eating healthily a part of your regular routine, or as I like to call it – a habit.
Are you asking yourself, “Well, where do I start, then?”.
Let’s start with one thing at a time or one step at a time. Besides High Intensity Training (HIT), start another activity once a week. When you feel you have adapted well to both at the same time (preferably managing both activities consistently for at least 50 days), then you can add another activity. Just like working out, eating healthily everyday needs moderation to be successful. If you currently don’t eat healthy and cut out all junk at food the same time, it becomes an overwhelming goal.
Eating healthy isn’t a diet, diets set us up for failure. Eating healthy is a lifestyle.
To start eating better, the best option is to list vegetables you enjoy. Why am I only discussing vegetables? Well, vegetables should be 50% of each of your meals. While 50% seems like a lot, it may not seem like so much if it’s something you love. If vegetables aren’t your thing or you don’t like to eat them raw, you can sauté, bake, or air fry them. They don’t have to be boring either. You can make sweet potato fries, zucchini boats, or roasted broccoli/carrots. You can even zest up your veggies by adding freshly squeezed lemon or other seasons to them. The important thing to remember is that everything comes in moderation and to start one step at a time.
As you familiarize yourself with an activity you enjoy doing, you will start to make it a part of your subconscious routine. Remind yourself that goals are only realistic when we take on one at a time and make them our habits. Give yourself grace – we are all human, we make mistakes. We don’t have to be perfect, but we need to live a lifestyle we can maintain. So, let's start reaching our goals, one day at a time!
-Chloe