So in a few days it’s December, which means 2019 is almost over and it’s the time of year where we usually make the worst decisions when it comes to our health and wellness. Yes, it’s that very merry time of year where Christmas parties and social gatherings flood our calendars and in the name of the festive spirit we’re usually drinking more, overeating and moving less. Yep, it’s the perfect excuse to blame it on the holiday madness and justify it all with your New Year’s resolution that you’ll start in January – though let’s face it, your most likely going to forget about by March – sound familiar?
OK, so we’re all guilty of this and there’s nothing wrong with relaxing and letting your hair down around this time of year, with the good intentions to jump back on the horse and start the year strong next year. ‘Start the year strong, end the year…weak’? That’s definitely not a saying, but it’s what the majority of us do.
What if you could end 2019 as strong as you start 2020? How much more prepared would you be to smash 2020 and how much more momentum would you have, to obtain success in all the goals you set out to achieve? If you can stay motivated during in the time of year where most people are struggling, then I believe you’ve set yourself up for a successful year ahead.
So, how can we end the year strong?
It’s kind of simple… Think about how you’d like to start 2020 and then do it in the last month of 2019.
Why wait? If becoming a better, healthier version of you can wait then is it reeeeally going to be a priority in the future? No, do it now!
Here are just a few simple suggestions that you can either take or leave. In the end, you know what’s serving you and what’s not, so get honest with yourself and be the master of your own future.
Give up something that’s not serving you. Is there something that’s holding you back from being your best self? A destructive behaviour like binge eating or drinking, or perhaps you’re snacking on the wrong types of foods? Maybe there’s a certain food group you’d like to cut out like meat, dairy, junk foods, sugary drinks or even alcohol (massive props to you if you start ‘Dry January’ in December). Choose one thing, and focus on sustaining that into the New Year.
Replace whatever you give up with a healthier habit or something that’s going to help you on your path to your happiest, healthiest you. This could be something like drinking half your body weight in water every day or forming a daily mediation routine. Maybe you need to incorporate more fruit and veg in every meal or snack you eat or you might want to developing a fitness routine, something that gets you moving for at least half an hour a day. Whatever the healthy habit is, do what you need to do to make sure that becomes part of your daily ritual. This might mean joining up to a gym or getting a personal trainer to guide you and hold you accountable. Maybe it’s installing that mediation app or getting a nutrition coach to help with meal planning. Shifting your mindset to a more positive one might be your aim, so buying a journal and starting your day with gratitude could be the healthy habit you install.
Remember, it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, so by the time January hits, what could have been your New Year’s resolution will then be a cakewalk and that healthy habit will already embedded into your daily routine, giving you the space to up your game even more in 2020!
Set a goal and write it down. It’s not a goal if it’s not written down by you, physically, with a pen and paper. Get the goal out of you head, and write it down. Be specific with what it is you want to achieve – for example ‘lose weight’ isn’t specific enough, ‘lose 5kgs By March 2020’ is – and then create a road map on how you’re going to achieve it. A good way to do this is to work backwards from your goal. Start at your goal and fill in the steps working backwards on how you would achieve it. Write down all the ideas you have on how you might get there and who could help you. That way, if plan A doesn’t work, you have no excuses and have plan B, C, D, E – Z to get you there. If you don’t have a plan, it’s likely you’ll fall back on bad coping mechanisms which will slow you down or worse, stop you completely from attaining your goal.
Have someone to hold you accountable. Reaching a goal is so much easier when you have someone holding you accountable. You could invite a group of friends or your spouse to start this December challenge with you. That way when things get tough, you will have a strong support network egging you on and making sure you’re showing up as your best self.
Another awesome way to do this is to join a community like Bravera. Bravera users can convert their fitness activity data into immediate rewards like discounted shopping, meals or services OR they can take it one step further, do something meaningful and create some social impact by doing a challenge where they run for a charity! Not only do you have a large community to inspire you, but you are positively impacting society while doing great things for your health and working out for the greater good of humanity. So cool! Check them out at www.bravera.co if you’re not already a member, and I would like to personally offer 20% off any of my services including Fitness, Dance, Yoga, Meditation, Surf, Nutrition and Mindset coaching, to anyone running or walking for a cause with a Bravera challenge in December or January 2020!
Reach out to me and tell me your goals – whether it’s losing the weight, running a marathon or becoming more flexible. Having better relationships, working on your mental health and booking a therapist, going back to school to study or starting that business you’ve always dreamed of – let me know what it is and how I can help or simply swing me a message if you’re finding it tough and need an extra cheerleader.
Remember, we’ve got one life, so stop putting it off until next year and do whatever it is you want to achieve in 2020. Start NOW on becoming that healthier, happier version of you and join me for the last 31 days of 2019 to end the year strong.
Challenge accepted?
You got this!