"The other thing psychology research tells us is that the chance of long-term success when you try to change more than one thing at a time is less than 10%. You may be able to sustain these changes for a short time, 1-4 weeks, but in the end the brain will resist and default back to its old ways. Change one small thing at a time and your chance of success is greater that 85%." - Jade Teta, Metabolic Effect
This is why most New Years Resolutions fail.
So I have to be careful in how I set my goals for 2013... Glad I have another couple of days to consider what my goals are... Because I'm not quite sure yet!!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
An Overwhelmingly Blessed CHRISTmas
Wow. I am not sure how much more blessed I could possibly be after this Christmas season!!
I have been blessed to be able to see my family and enjoy some long overdue quality time with them, while also enjoying a field trip to the Biltmore. I have been blessed to be able to celebrate my birthday with my family and with my boyfriend. I've been blessed to have time off from work to spend with family for Christmas and my birthday. I've been blessed with financial means to travel, celebrate, gift, and even pay off my student loan in the process. I've been blessed with the love of God through his only Son -- whose birthday we get to celebrate this week. And I've been blessed enough to have Christmas Day off of work to spend with Daniel's family -- celebrating together.
Not to mention, that after this Christmas season, I pretty much have a new wardrobe, new watch/accessories that I had been lacking, new towels, new sheets, three new pairs of shoes, a new-to-me Bernina sewing machine (along with all the accessories, more fabric, and a sundry collection of quilting books and notions), and a variety of other small things that my everyday routine was missing out from (you know, those little things that just makes your life that much more comfortable -- like shaving cream, foundation, bath gel, shampoo, socks, etc).
Of course, Christmas is not just about presents or the things that you get. Which is why I feel even more blessed to finally have a better understanding of this! I've always known what Christmas celebrated, but I don't think I ever fully grasped the gravity of the event. Granted, I still don't (and probably never will) understand it totally, but it's really sinking into my heart this year just how special a celebration this is!
I look ahead to the coming year of 2013, and it is full of hopes, dreams, goals, and plans. I am looking forward to creating a vision board (a picture of which I will share here) that culminates all of these things that shows not just where I want to go and what I want to accomplish next year, but it also demonstrates just how much I have grown this year!
Life is good, Thanks Be to God.
I have been blessed to be able to see my family and enjoy some long overdue quality time with them, while also enjoying a field trip to the Biltmore. I have been blessed to be able to celebrate my birthday with my family and with my boyfriend. I've been blessed to have time off from work to spend with family for Christmas and my birthday. I've been blessed with financial means to travel, celebrate, gift, and even pay off my student loan in the process. I've been blessed with the love of God through his only Son -- whose birthday we get to celebrate this week. And I've been blessed enough to have Christmas Day off of work to spend with Daniel's family -- celebrating together.
Not to mention, that after this Christmas season, I pretty much have a new wardrobe, new watch/accessories that I had been lacking, new towels, new sheets, three new pairs of shoes, a new-to-me Bernina sewing machine (along with all the accessories, more fabric, and a sundry collection of quilting books and notions), and a variety of other small things that my everyday routine was missing out from (you know, those little things that just makes your life that much more comfortable -- like shaving cream, foundation, bath gel, shampoo, socks, etc).
Of course, Christmas is not just about presents or the things that you get. Which is why I feel even more blessed to finally have a better understanding of this! I've always known what Christmas celebrated, but I don't think I ever fully grasped the gravity of the event. Granted, I still don't (and probably never will) understand it totally, but it's really sinking into my heart this year just how special a celebration this is!
I look ahead to the coming year of 2013, and it is full of hopes, dreams, goals, and plans. I am looking forward to creating a vision board (a picture of which I will share here) that culminates all of these things that shows not just where I want to go and what I want to accomplish next year, but it also demonstrates just how much I have grown this year!
Life is good, Thanks Be to God.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Need to Re-Focus
It's a beautiful, 74 degree sunny December day (in NC mind you! Didn't win the lottery and visit FL haha), and I find myself home alone, off work early, and with a moment of quiet and a mind that is itching to write. The hammock has been put away for winter storage, so instead of setting myself in it's roped comfort to sway suspended in the air, I settle for my spot on my bed. I'd open the window for a breeze, but the Christmas lights are up and blocking that from happening. So I pretend...
The next couple of weeks are going to be very busy. I work basically 9 days straight to compensate for some vacation time that I'm taking in order to visit Dad and Meghan for Christmas :) I think we are all excited about the visit -- Dad contacts me every day to give me the updated countdown lol. But I have a lot to accomplish in these 9 working days. I've got 6 different baked goods to prepare for goodie baskets as Christmas gifts. I've got a hair appointment for a new look. I've got to pack (blech!). I've also got to spend some quality time focusing on my goals and staying on track.
I've begun following the Metabolic Effect Diet Lifestyle -- a book that you can find here (no, I don't get any money for endorsing this book) -- that is based on hormonal effects of food and exercise. I love it because it streamlines exercise into 20minute workouts three times a week, and the food portion is pretty much the simplest thing ever. I began this about five weeks ago. The first three weeks I was on track (and saw major results). But last week was not so good -- so I'm really having to refocus and get myself back on track. (Of course, this would be much easier if I made the time to prepare my meals like I take the time to catch up on my DVR!)
Anywho, let me get back to my point between Christmas vacation/stress/new lifestyle. I am really feeling the effects of "this time of the year." The stress is really affecting my cravings, and the busy schedule is really affecting my ability to have time to prepare meals ahead of time. THEN I'm looking at a four day trip from my relatively healthy world into the world of my Dad's excellent (aka unhealthy) cooking. It's going to be really tough for me to watch my portion sizes and to stay committed to completing my workouts while on vacation. I'm going to need some accountability on this trip... Thankfully Daniel will be there and he can help me out.
So I need to create some goals for the next two weeks...
The next couple of weeks are going to be very busy. I work basically 9 days straight to compensate for some vacation time that I'm taking in order to visit Dad and Meghan for Christmas :) I think we are all excited about the visit -- Dad contacts me every day to give me the updated countdown lol. But I have a lot to accomplish in these 9 working days. I've got 6 different baked goods to prepare for goodie baskets as Christmas gifts. I've got a hair appointment for a new look. I've got to pack (blech!). I've also got to spend some quality time focusing on my goals and staying on track.
I've begun following the Metabolic Effect Diet Lifestyle -- a book that you can find here (no, I don't get any money for endorsing this book) -- that is based on hormonal effects of food and exercise. I love it because it streamlines exercise into 20minute workouts three times a week, and the food portion is pretty much the simplest thing ever. I began this about five weeks ago. The first three weeks I was on track (and saw major results). But last week was not so good -- so I'm really having to refocus and get myself back on track. (Of course, this would be much easier if I made the time to prepare my meals like I take the time to catch up on my DVR!)
Anywho, let me get back to my point between Christmas vacation/stress/new lifestyle. I am really feeling the effects of "this time of the year." The stress is really affecting my cravings, and the busy schedule is really affecting my ability to have time to prepare meals ahead of time. THEN I'm looking at a four day trip from my relatively healthy world into the world of my Dad's excellent (aka unhealthy) cooking. It's going to be really tough for me to watch my portion sizes and to stay committed to completing my workouts while on vacation. I'm going to need some accountability on this trip... Thankfully Daniel will be there and he can help me out.
So I need to create some goals for the next two weeks...
- I promise myself to spend some time with God and His Word once a day. Even if it's just a short devotional.
- I promise to stay committed to my weight training 3x/week -- even on vacation. I will take weights, my GymBoss Trainer, and workout clothes on my trip. I will recruit the help of Daniel and my friends to hold me accountable to this goal.
- I promise to relegate myself to sensible portion sizes when at Dad's and to not eat my weight in food.
- I promise that before I go on this trip, to make smart decisions when fueling my body. To allow myself the one cheat meal on Thursday before my trip.
- I promise to enjoy my time with my family, and to not stress over the little things. I promise to make memories, not enemies.
Okay. I've written them down. Now to share, post them on my walls, and live by them...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)