Ditch the Resolution. Set a SMART Resolution for 2021.

A hot topic of conversation this time of year is New Year’s Resolutions.  Research done by Discover Healthy Habits revealed that there’s a near even 50/50 split of people who make resolutions versus those who don’t.  The number one reason why people don’t make a resolution is that they’ve been unsuccessful in keeping resolutions in the past so why bother.  Of those surveyed who made a resolution in 2019 only 7% were successful in keeping their resolution.  7%!!!  That means that 93% gave up before the year’s end.  With those odds I’d be hesitant to make a resolution.

  

But hold on.  Don’t stop reading just yet.  There is hope for New Year’s Resolutions.

The #1 reason why people said that they were unsuccessful in keeping their resolution is that their resolution was unrealistic.  Looking at the statistics of resolution maintenance throughout the year, the percentage of people holding strong to their resolution dropped month by month.  This demonstrates to me that the timeliness of a typical resolution is too long.  It’s tough to wait twelve months to acknowledge success. 

Wait a minute – do two of the words in that paragraph look familiar to some of you?  Realistic.  Timely.  Don’t we find them in the goal acronym – SMART? 

Let’s look at the most popular resolutions of 2020 and see how we can make them SMART Resolutions for 2021.

Resolution: I will eat better in 2021.

SMART Resolution: I will eat one piece of fresh fruit five days a week in January.

Resolution: I will get in shape in 2021.

SMART Resolution: I will take a walk four times a week in January.

Resolution: I will save money in 2021.

SMART Resolution: I will set-up an automatic transfer of $50 from every paycheck to my Savings Account by January 31, 2021.

You might be asking yourself, “These are SMART goals, but what about the other eleven months of the year?”  Well, who says that a resolution can only be made on January 1^st and must end on December 31^st?  One of my personal mottos is: 

Set Small Goals, Celebrate Often

 By January 31 your January resolution has become a habit.  HIGH FIVE!!  So you keep doing that one and set another resolution on February 1^st.

Resolution: I will eat better in 2021.

SMART Resolution: I will eat one piece of fresh fruit five days a week in January.

SMART Resolution: I will eat one vegetable five days a week in February.

Twelve months from now on December 31, 2021 you will have developed several new healthy habits resulting in you “eating better in 2021.”

I encourage you to not quickly brush off the idea of setting a New Year’s Resolution.  Instead, pause and consider how setting a SMART Resolution for yourself this year can change your life.

 

Resources:

www.discoverhappyhabits.com

Photo credit: www.fairygodboss.com, www.pinterest.com, www.blog.v-comply.com, www.goodnewsnotebook.com, www.vectorstock.com

The ABC's of Maintaining Ten Years of Healthy Living

Ten years ago I was a mom of two active elementary kids, a caregiving spouse, a full-time employee,  and a stressed out overall unhealthy unhappy person who made a decision to live a healthier life.  Today I am a mom of two young adults ready to spread their wings, a caregiving spouse, a full-time employee with three jobs who is still stressed out but overall is a HEALTHY and HAPPY person. How is that possible?  How did a single decision to run a 5k made ten years ago create a permanent shift that has completely changed my life?

Knowing that this ten year milestone was approaching, I've spent some time giving that question some serious thought.  How many people set a goal for themselves and not follow through?  How many times had I set a goal and not followed through?  Too many times to count!  So what made this one stick?  It turns out, that the answer is as easy as A-B-C!

ACCEPT THAT LIVING A HEALTHY LIFE IS A NEVER-ENDING PROCESS  
I'm not perfect.  I'm going to make to choices that aren't the best.  Too often, people make a mistake or miss a step and, as a result, they throw in the towel and give up.  Over the past ten years I have not made 100% healthy choices all of the time.  There have been stretches of time when I have not exercised at all or when my diet has consisted of more pizza and less fruit.  There have also been times when my kids' schedules have been crazy or my husband's health has needed our full attention. Over these ten years, I have learned that my journey is not defined by one day or one week.   It's a process.  There are going to be times of joy and times of heartache.  Times of learning and times of victory.  Times of simply needing to survive the day and times of sitting back and saying "this is great!"  When times are tough, I allow myself to cry and be mad and take a minute to wallow in the fact that life absolutely sucks.  When times are good I allow myself to celebrate and be happy and pause to reflect on how lucky I am that this is my life.  Then I stand up and think about the next goal I have for myself and why it's important to me.  I put one foot in front of the other and I keep pushing forward.

BE SMART IN GOAL SETTING
One of the things that running has taught me is the importance of small achievable goals.  When I first started running, there was no way that I could run one mile without stopping. But I could run to the next mailbox.  Then the next.  Then the next.  If I would have started out saying "I'm going to run one mile non-stop," I would have failed.  That would have created a sense of defeat.  Depending on the day I may have decided to try again or I would have given up.  However, saying that I am going to run to the next mailbox is very do-able.  So I would make it to that mailbox and then set my next goal to get to the next mailbox.  Eventually, all of those small distances added up to equal one mile.  Setting a series of small goals eventually leads to the achievement of a larger goal.  Focusing on small goals maintains a positive attitude and sense of progress avoiding feelings of failure.  I always say - Set small goals, celebrate often.  Who doesn't like a celebration???  Even when it's a simple high five.  Small goals push me to keep moving.

Being achievable is only one aspect of a SMART goal.

CREATE A STRONG IN-PERSON SUPPORT SYSTEM
My Tribe, Crew, Team, Posse . . . whatever name you want to use, the accountability of my circle of support has been key in my obtaining and sustaining a life of healthy choices.  There are two things about my circle of support that are important:
* I was intentional in creating this group - The people who are a part of my Circle know my goals, my struggles, my weaknesses, my strengths.  When we are together we talk about healthy living and our dreams.  I trust them.  They know when I need a hug.  My Circle builds me up.  They inspire me to do better everyday.  They know that I am relying on them to hold me accountable because I remind them - all the time.  As a result, this group has been consistent.  We have been friends for many years.  They have been with me through the highest of highs and lowest of lows of this healthy living journey.
* I see those in my circle on a regular basis.  On-line groups are valuable (I'm part of several that I gain much encouragement from!), but an on-line group is not sitting across the conference room table for me when someone brings in a large box of donuts or texting me from the Zumba class I'm supposed to be at while I'm sitting on my couch.  There is nothing like a sweaty hug after finally completing a solid weighted Russian Twist or crossing the finish line of a 5k.  Celebrating an achieved goal with a High Five is the absolute best!  An on-line friend doesn't give me the stink eye from my office door because it's 2PM and I haven't eaten lunch yet.  Sometimes simply being in the presence of my Circle gives me a sense of strength and encouragement that I need and appreciate.

Summing up ten years of healthy living in three steps makes this journey sound simple.  It hasn't been.  I've made some serious changes in my life - going from living off of take out and spending a lot of time sitting on the couch to consistently meal prepping on weekends and sweating my butt off multiple times a week has taken a lot of conscious effort.  I'm proud of myself.  My hope is that my journey (which I'm still traveling on by the way!) inspires you to recognize that you too can achieve great things.  Just start at the beginning with A-B-C.

SHOUT OUT to my amazing Circle of Support!!  Thank you for encouraging me, pushing me, carrying me, loving me through this journey!  I love you all!

My brother-in-law Chris ran my first two 5k's with me!
Here we are approaching the Finish Line back in Spring 2010.

My family!
My mom and sister are the best.
My kids inspire me everyday to be a strong example.
My dad (not pictured) gives the best motivational talks.

Justin, Coach Dana and Nicole - TEAM MUSCLE!
We've been working and working out together for five years.

There were too many pictures to pick just one.
Team Muscle after running the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay in 2017.

Amy (right) truly knows all the ugly parts of my journey.  She's amazing!
It was Amy who suggested we check out a Zumba class  9 years ago.  That's were
we met Cat (middle) - a true inspiration.

Don't get me wrong - on-line groups are valuable!  These ladies are from my
local MRTT (Mom's Run This Town Chapter).  I mostly interact with them on Facebook,
but I do get to see them in person often.  Thank you Melanie for inviting me to join!
Lori and Lynn - your journeys and posts have provided me with much encouragement.

What can I say about this guy?
We've been through it all TOGETHER!  I love you Jamison!

SHOUT OUT to  my high school friend Jodi Barber.  Following her journey

on Facebook pushed me to even think about running my first 5k!  

ABC picture from www.zenefits.com

5 Steps to Kick Off a Life of Healthy Choices

Six months ago my husband survived a massive heart attack.  That was our wake up call that we had to make some life style changes.  There was no waiting for next week or after the holiday or until he finished cardiac rehab.  Change had to happen.  The time for change was now.

picture from Adventures in Medicine

We've been encouraging our family and friends to let our wake up call be their wake up call.  Don't wait for your own crisis because your crisis may not end the same way that our crisis ended.  It's easy for us to say that - you should change.  The hard part is actually making the change. 

To help you start your journey of healthy choices, here are five simple steps that can set you up for success.

1. SET A GOAL
Setting a goal determines the direction you are going.  It gives you something to aim for.  If living a life of healthy choices is new to you, I recommend you set one simple goal.  Your goal should be a SMART one (see image below) with a deadline that is one week to one month away. 

Let me give you some examples:
     I'm going to exercise every day for the rest of the my life.  (Attainable?  Probably not.)
     I'm going to exercise three times a week for the next four weeks.  (SMART goal!)

     I'm never ever going to drink pop again. (If you drink pop every day, this may be tough.)
     I'm going to drink two glasses of water a day for the next week.  (SMART goal!)

     I'm going to eat healthier.  (Specific?  rather a tad vague.)
     I'm going to eat a piece of fresh fruit everyday this week.  (SMART goal!)
     I'm going to try one new healthy recipe a week for the next month.  (SMART goal!)

The thing that I love with starting your journey with a simple SMART goal is that you will be encouraged by a quick success and can set a new goal (or set the same goal again).  A simple SMART goal propels you forward toward your ultimate destination which is a healthy lifestyle.

2. WRITE YOUR GOAL DOWN
The physical act of writing your goal down makes it real and provides you with a layer of accountability.  Post it on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on you computer, on your refrigerator or all of those places.  You want it be somewhere you are going to see it throughout the day.  Another great spot recommended by one of my favorite people - Bobby Bones in his book Fail Until You Don't - is to make your goal the screen saver on your phone.  How many times a day do you look at your phone?!?

This is an excellent book!  It's available on Amazon and
at most other bookstores.  I highly recommend it!

   
3. SHARE YOUR GOAL WITH SOMEONE ELSE
You've set your goal.  You've written your goal down.  Now I recommend that you tell someone your goal.  Not just anyone - someone who will encourage you, celebrate with you when you succeed, hug you and push you back on your path when you mess up (because, let's be honest, you will and that is OK).  Having a support system is SO incredibly important.  I am fortunate to have an amazing support system.  My friend Dana guides, encourages and pushes me.  My friend Michelle sends me the funniest gifs that keep me going.  My friend Justin is the one I'm always trying to keep up with and beat during our workouts.  My mom listens to me.  My husband is faithfully by my side with a high five or a much needed hug.   You know what?  This support system didn't build itself.  I asked them to help me.  I asked them to be a part of MY Team.  This can be hard.  You may not be one to accept help or you may be embarrassed that you need the help or you may think you don't need help.  Trust me - we all need help when it comes to making changes in our lives.  So start with one person. Choose one trusted person and ask them to be your cheerleader.

4. GET STARTED
I think that this is the hardest step.  Now you need to actually take action and do it.

You said that you were going to walk around the block three evenings this week.  But it was a rough day at work and the couch is so comfortable and you're tired.  Come on - get up and do it! 

You said that you were going to pack your lunch this week instead of ordering out.  It's Monday and everyone is ordering from your favorite Chinese restaurant.  You'll just start next week.  No big deal, right?  Come on - You can do this.  It's five days.  That's it.  Five days. 

There are times when I've need to talk to myself out loud. 
"Come on Lisa.  Get up." 
"You can do this Lisa."

Once I get moving, I'm good.  As soon as I step out the door and that fresh air fills my lungs, I'm ready to go.  As soon as I bite into that crisp sweet apple, my craving for fast food grease goes away.  The key is take that first active step to get yourself moving.

picture from Ready Set Go Spirit

     
5. CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS
Since your goal was a SMART one, you have a deadline.  Once you reach that deadline - celebrate!!  It could be a high five, a hug, pumping your fist in the air, sending a text message to your cheerleader and getting a great one in return or doing a happy dance.  You went a day without visiting the office candy dish.  ALL RIGHT!!  You went the entire week without hitting up the drive thru for a sweet tea.  YES!!  You and your family went for a walk after dinner three nights this week.  YOU'RE AMAZING!!

VICTORY!!

What do you do now?  You do it again!  Set that goal again.  And then again.  And then again.  Pretty soon that goal of drinking water or exercising or eating a vegetable with every dinner has become a healthy habit.  You're ready to focus on another area of your life. 

What if you didn't reach that initial goal that you set?  That's ok.  Try again.  If it still doesn't work, evaluate your goal.  Is it too big?  Is it too vague?  Is it an area of your life that is just too hard to change right now?  Set yourself up for success. 

Change is hard - but you can do it.  I know you can.  Just give it a try.

I have this posted on my desk at work to remind myself to
keep pushing myself on this journey of change.

The Holiday Hype and My Boo Hoo Party are Over. NOW is the Time to set My 2019 Goals!

It's been nine years since I made a "resolution" to live a healthier life and actually saw it through.  I challenged myself to train for and complete a 5k in 2010 and I did it!  After that, I kept on moving and striving to make healthy life choices.  Nine years later, while the journey has been filled with many twists and turns, I'm still on that path to move more and make healthy choices.

A Journey with Many Twists and Turns
photo from www.fscaston.org

Though I can't lie - 2018 was ROUGH!  I actually did not meet any of the goals that I set for myself last January.  What I viewed as my year of the downfall started in February with a trip to the ER via ambulance thinking I was having a heart attack - turns out it was stress.  March brought an unexpected and (at the time) undesired job transfer.  September arrived with the realization that I was going to have to get a second job in order to keep us afloat.  So, I did.  Come November, we celebrated our first holiday season with both of our children working.  Add in my first year working retail during the holidays and I was thrown for a complete loop.  2018 wrapped up with me covered in hives conked out in an allergy medicine fueled haze.  What a year!

Needless to say, I was thinking that I was done.  Ready to throw in the towel on the whole move more and make wise choices  philosophy that I had been celebrating for the past nine years.  It was not working for me anymore.

Then, two things happened:
1) I adjusted my perspective.  
My family spent some time reviewing our highlights from 2018.  My son talked about his high school graduation and his successful first semester in college.  My daughter talked about getting her first job and her drivers license.  My husband talked about achieving his dream of getting to travel to California.  I realized that each member of my family achieved great things in 2018 and that I played a key role in each of their journeys.  I've tried to teach my children to find joy in the journeys of those you love.  Adjusting my perspective, I saw that I had shared in a tremendous year of great accomplishment and adventure!  2018 is a year that I should remember with great pride.   

JJ's Graduation

Ellie's First Solo Drive

Jamison enjoying the Pacific Ocean
during a Church Conference

2) I remembered my commitment to not give up.
One of Facebook's features that I love is how memories pop up of everything that has happened on that date since you joined.  These past few days have brought back memories of setting personal goals, my inaugural day of training for that first 5k, and words of motivation I shared.  One Scripture verse that I had shared was Galatians 6:9 (NIV), "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  It's been nine years and while there have certainly been times when I have grown weary, I have NOT given up on myself.  So why would I give up now?

So here I sit on January 6, 2019.  The Holiday Hype is over.  I've declared my Boo Hoo Party to be over effective today.  It's time to look forward to 2019 with great hope and anticipation for what is to come. 

In 2019 I will . . .
* Complete six 5K's by the end of the year.  I've strayed from running, but I'm going to get back out on the road this year!
* Donate blood once a quarter.  I have the same universal blood type as my dad.  He donated on a regular basis for most of his life.  Plus, this is a simple way for me to give back.  In his honor, I want to become a regular donor.
* Go the beach this summer.  Sitting on the beach staring out at the horizon fills my tank. We did not get to the beach last year and I've felt it. 
* Take the Pennsylvania Social Work Licensing Exam by the end of May.  One of my regrets has always been allowing my Ohio license to expire and never obtaining my Pennsylvania license.  That all happened when we first moved to PA 13 years ago - my kids were little, my husband was newly battling his health problems and I was barely functioning - so I can't be too hard on myself.  However, one of the things I learned in 2018 is that it is time to get this done.  

I open up my heart and soul to you simply to say that if I can do this, YOU can do this.  Life is hard.  We are each fighting out own battles.  But we shouldn't give up on taking care of ourselves - physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, financially, professionally - all of those "allies!"  I encourage you to take some time over the next couple of days to think about what you want to accomplish in the year ahead.  It might be one goal or four! 

Here are a few tips for you
1. Make sure your goal is a smart goal!

image from www.smartsheet.com

2. Don't set too many goals.  You want to enjoy this journey and not overwhelm yourself.  Plus, if you achieve all of the goals you set, you can always set more!    It's better to set small goals and celebrate success often rather than risk struggling and giving up.

3. Share your goals with someone.  Saying your goals out loud and to another person makes them feel real.  Whoever you tell can help to hold you accountable.  You don't have to be like me and splash your goals all over the internet, but I encourage you to tell at least one person. 

This post turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated.  Thanks for reading this and for sticking with me these last several years.  I wish you happy goal setting and a very successful and healthy 2019!

Don't Give Up! 3 Tips to Keeping Your New Year's Resolution

It's about this time of the year that people start bailing on their New Year's Resolutions.  In fact, according to the University of Scranton's research, only 8% of people who make a resolution actually keep it.  Before you throw out your goal, your hopes, your dreams for a new and different year, take a second to read this . . .

I started every year as one of the 92% who never keep their resolutions.  The new year would kick-off and I'd feel motivated and enthusiastic.  This was the year that I was going to make drastic changes in my life.  Eat healthier.  Lose weight.  Help others.  Get organized.  Make my bed everyday.  Never yell at my kids again.  By the end of January real life would creep in and I'd stumble and then fall flat on my face.  Forget that resolution!  I'd be mad at myself for a few days, but then life would go on and I'd forget about any desire to improve myself.

The streak ended in 2010.  That year I was one of those 8%.  I kept my New Year's Resolution and my life would never be the same.  I resolved to complete a 5k.  Coming from someone who had never run even the shortest of distances that was a pretty daring goal to set.  Amazingly, on April 10, 2010 I completed my first 5k.  Since then I have set and kept my New Year's Resolutions every year.  How does that happen?  I do three simple things.

1. I set SMART Resolutions.  

My resolutions were always vague and unrealistic.  I will be healthier this year!  What exactly does that mean?  I will not yell at my kids this year.  Really?  You don't think they're going to push you to your limits at least once in the next 12 hours let alone 12 months?  I will lose 50 pounds this year.  Is that possible?  Yes - for some people.  But I know myself.  The minute the scale shows a gain I will feel defeated and bow out.  

In 2010, my resolution was a SMART one.  I will run a 5k this year.  It's specific.  You can read that sentence and know exactly what I'm aiming to do with no explanation.  It's measurable.  I either complete 3.1 miles or I don't.  It's achievable.  3.1 miles isn't that far (Though at the time it felt like I was asking myself to run around the world!).  I could accomplish that without killing myself.  It's realistic.  Looking at my life at the time and the training needed to achieve this goal, I felt that I could handle it.  I also had several friends who ran and were great examples to me that I could do this.  It's timely.  I had one year to complete it.  Or once I picked a race - until April 10th.  

2. I Share my Resolutions with others.

Sharing your Resolutions with others allows them to cheer you on when times get tough, celebrate with you and hold you accountable.  When I keep things to myself, negative self-talk fills my mind. "You can't do this."  "You're crazy."  "You know you're going to fail."  I have a small group of trusted friends and family whom I share EVERYTHING with about my resolutions.  They've listened to me whine.  They've jumped up and down with me to celebrate victories.  They've caught me sneaking into the Break Room tip toeing towards the vending machines and called me out on it, 

Back in 2010, I told everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - about my goal of completing a 5k.  That is actually what kept me going.  There were several times during my training that I wanted to quit and one key moment when the race first started that I was ready to head to the car.  Each time I thought of how many people I had told (Why had I posted my goal on Facebook?!?) and how embarrassing it would be to have to say that I quit.  

3. I Stick to it even when I fall.

This is probably the MOST important.  No one is perfect.  Life is not always fair.  There are going to be mountains to climb and valleys to cross.  When I mess up or miss a step, the key is for me to pick myself up and keep going.  Even if that means going back and starting again.  

When I was training for that first 5k, I had a string of three weeks when I couldn't get the training in on Tuesdays.  I was ready to give up.  My mom asked me why I would quit after already putting so much time and heart into training.  The only answer I could come up with was the missing check marks on the paper.  I had messed up "the plan" and now I was off schedule.  When my mom pointed out the ridiculousness of quitting because of a few missing check marks, I knew that couldn't quit.  Who really cares that I had missed three Tuesdays?  No one!

So what if you didn't reach 10,000 steps for the past two days.  Your child was sick.  You had a big report to complete at work.  That doesn't justify quitting.

So you ate an entire pizza after a really bad day.  What happened to you really stinks and deserved a pity party, but now you start fresh and get back on track with that clean eating.

So you paid your gas bill a day late.  Hey, everything else has been paid on time and you are doing a great job.  Next month, you'll get that bill paid on time.

Whenever we stumble there is a key moment when we literally ask ourselves - am I going to quit or am I going to stick to it?  The easy answer is to say I quit and fall back into old habits.  The hard answer.  The brave answer.  The smart answer is to push on.

So here we are nearing the end of January.  Did you tell yourself this year would be different and have found that it's not?  Have you been struggling to keep your resolution and have been thinking of giving up?  Maybe you never even made one because, "Why bother?  You know you won't keep it."

It's never too late to set a goal.  January 1 is only a date on the calendar.  You can make a New Year's Resolution on January 1st, January 22nd or even May 3rd.  It's all about you and how you want to live your life.  What decisions do you want to make?  How do you feel about your life right now?  If you want to change than you can do that starting today.

If you are ready to give up, I urge you to hang in there.  Look at your resolution.  Is it SMART?  If not - you can adjust it.  Have you shared your goal with anyone?  If not, call or text someone right now and ask for support.  Do you need to dig in your heels and stick to it even if you've already fallen?  You can do it!!

It's been seven years since I first kept my New Year's Resolution.  I still make a couple every year and I still follow these three steps.  If I can do it, I know that you can, too!