Reflect on the previous year as well as the season. What went right? What did you achieve? Where did you have success? What were the challenges? What barriers to success did you encounter? How can you solve these challenges? What can you learn from them? How can you overcome these barriers to succeed in the future?
Use those "honest" reflections to set goals, not make resolutions. Develop a process and make plans to achieve those goals. After all, a goal without a #plan is just a hope or a wish. The plan is your road map to achieving your goals. Focusing on the process of what it will take to achieve a #goal can be more important than the goal itself. Sticking to the process will most times result in better outcomes as an accumulation of the effort. Focussing on the process will help you develop the necessary daily habits for long-term change.
Another reason to set goals and make plans for the coming season instead of making resolutions is to make it easier to achieve those goals when things get hard. With a simple resolution, inevitably after a month or so of healthier eating and more exercise, you will hit a wall and want to back off or quit. This is why most resolutions don't work. If you are committed to the process of healthier eating and exercising regularly, you are more likely to stick with it when the going gets tough.
Remember that wellness includes physical, mental, and emotional well-being (among other factors), and they are all connected. Make goals that focus on improving your mental and emotional well-being as well as your physical well-being.
A goal of losing 15 lbs is a fine goal, but also think about what losing weight (and the process of healthier eating and exercising more) will do for your mental or emotional health. And vice versa, how will improving your mental and #emotional well-being improve your physical well-being (less #stress and emotional eating!). Make a plan to a journal, meditate, stretch, or practice gratitude every day to improve your mental and emotional well-being and by proxy your physical and overall #wellness.
And lastly, you don't have to wait for the next season to make a goal and plan a healthier life - you can do this any time of the year!
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