Eurgh. I’ve just finished writing an article for a magazine on something I talk to people about, pretty much every, bloody, year.
“New Year, New Me.”
Shut up Karen. This shit won’t wash anymore. You make this empty promise every bloody year. You’re going to get down the gym, get ripped, only have chicken and salad in your fridge and do a 90 day juice cleanse. You’re going to walk around in baggy low cut vests and never skip leg day.
You’ve literally never committed to this. Because it’s ridiculous. But somehow saying that you’re going to lose 10kgs at the start of the year and finally get your shit together makes you feel better. Probably because you’re going to go completely off the rails over Christmas. Then you’re going to guilt trip yourself and you think that saying these weird things will somehow absolve you of your “sins”.
So let’s just grab some perspective here.
Christmas is not about restriction, but it’s also not about binge and punishment.
New Year is not about “atoning” for stuff you regret.
And yet, as a society, we label both of those times as both of those things. So how do we change that?
Well you can’t change the world in one day, but you can change your own perspective over time. When I’m working with clients, one of the biggest problems a lot of them face is the “all or nothing” mindset. I don’t really know where it came from, but we started encouraging a society where we must either be punishing ourselves or gorging ourselves and overindulging. There appears to be no ability to play the greyscale area, it’s all black and white – and it’s a massively unhealthy attitude! But you can change it. It takes time. But you can do it. A lot of my clients are still working on health and body composition goals over the festive period and trying to lose weight over Christmas isn’t always easy. But they’ve been working hard on a health focused mindset and this is just a “challenge” for that mindset. So what I’ve told most of my clients to do, is to enjoy Christmas, but keep one eye on the prize. That means getting the basics nailed; staying hydrated, keeping active even though the usual schedule might be a little disrupted, getting some reflection time. But it also means having perspective. A new one. Not treating Christmas as an eating marathon, but taking time to enjoy each and every mouthful of food and appreciating how lucky we are to have access to it. Mindful eating, acknowledging when you feel full, hungry and how to listen to what your body is actually asking you for – newsflash, sometimes that’ll be chocolate!!
The trick is, if you can remain a measured human being and not a giant possessed locust over Christmas, then you don’t feel the urge for a huge, sudden and unrealistic overhaul come 1st January. THAT’S how you get rid of your New Year Karen attitude.
Keep it real.
There are billions of articles out there telling you how to keep an eye on your weight over Christmas. This is not what this article is about. This is about acknowledging that if you can keep some sense of perspective – an eye on your goals, a sense of perspective, an idea of what you REALLY want – then you will automatically avoid the sudden sense of hatred, guilt and disappointment January has brought you every year until now.
You may also find that what you actually create is an ability to stay healthy and confident – and happy!! – in the long run. You will avoid the unnecessary highs and lows of December and January that seem to be endemic in our society.
Obviously I love my food. But I also know when to stop. I’ve also worked hard over many years to create a very pronounced connection between my body and brain. Your body will always tell you when it’s had enough, you just need to learn to listen. If you can pay attention to these subtle signals, gradually they become less subtle and actually overindulgence, gluttony and that regret and guilt over food and binge eating goes away. Why? Because you’re eating healthfully because it feels like the right thing to do, not because you “should” or because it’s helping you to get ripped, lose weight, impress other people. You eat what’s right for your body because you realise that listening to it makes you a happier, more successful human being.
So what’s the take away?
Whatever happens this Christmas, make your peace with it now. Decide what your frame of mind is now, what it needs to be and what you want to feel after it all. All this will depend on what it is you’re trying to achieve and when. For the vast majority of us, Christmas is a time when we all need a little break and it can be the ideal time to take a little holiday from the rigorous discipline of your usual routine and at the end of the day, if you’ve been ticking off those process goals, this small hiatus will help you to keep going and ticking off more of them in the future. If you haven’t been ticking off the goals, perhaps spend some of the time you have set aside over Christmas, to spend some time with yourself and ask yourself why.
Most of all, remember that nothing changes about you, just because it’s January. Your body still has the same needs, the same challenges. You still have the same mental challenges and strengths. So you still need to work on weaknesses, maintain the strong points and ultimately keep thinking about the bigger picture.
So rather than setting meaningless, unobtainable goals for the New Year, perhaps take a little time to reflect on what stopped you from achieving what you wanted to this year, what you want to achieve next year – and beyond that – and then plan it. Goalsetting is one of my favourite topics, as you well know if you’re a regular attender here and it’s true that if you set a goal and plan it properly, it is INEVITABLE, that you will achieve it.
A great place to start taking stock, is with the Super Human Scorecard. It’s a completely free tool I’ve designed to give you feedback on exactly what it is that’s holding you back and where you need to focus your energies to ensure you can really get started on PROPERLY planning your goals. You’ll also receive my free tips on how to get started on improving the areas of your life that you’re lacking in so you can become a better, all round human being https://stevie-ftub30pe.scoreapp.com .
With that, have a very Merry Christmas and a successful smashing New Year!