Hello and welcome to the Wellness Connection podcast with Fiona Kane. I'm your host, fiona Kane, and today I'm going to be talking to you about New Year's resolutions. So, happy New Year and let's launch into New Year's resolutions. So what we do know is that I think it's like 8% of people actually stick with their New Year's resolutions, if it is even that high. So it's about sort of, what's that about? Why does that happen and what can you do to make that different in your life? And I'll first start by saying that sometimes people just say they're going to do certain things just because, or just because it's New Year's so they think they should, or because for somebody else, somebody else wants them to do something. So, for my first thing in regards to New Year's resolutions is actually has to be yours, it has to be something that you want to do. If you don't want to do it, don't say you're going to do it. Because one of the problems that we have with achieving goals is that we, if we feel like we're not showing up for ourselves I've done a whole episode about this before If we're not showing up for ourselves, we lose trust in ourselves and we don't think we're going to do it. So we know we don't trust ourselves that we're going to look after ourselves and do what we need to do, so we just basically lose faith in the fact that we can do it. So if you kind of just set random resolutions and that aren't really what you want to do and aren't really what you want, that would and obviously you will fail. That will just add to your feeling that you can't trust yourself. So it's going to be something you really want. You're not going to make, especially when it's resolutions associated with lifestyle, with health and lifestyle. They can be tough If you are not, if it's something you don't want to do or someone else's goal, so it's really needs to be your goal.
Speaker 1:
So I would start by saying that the next thing is start off with a clean slate about you know, whatever you did or didn't do last year, last week, yesterday, whatever we need to just move on from that Because, again, if we're in this place of I failed or I'm shameful, or I can't control myself or all that different language we offered news around, especially around food and things like that If you start from that place, you're bound to fail because you're already starting with all of the build up of everything behind you. So you just have to forgive yourself. Clean slate, move on, get on with it, because you just cannot. You cannot achieve things in life if you just carry all the baggage of everything you've ever should or should not have done in the past. If we're carrying it all with us Too heavy baggage, too heavy can't do it, it's not going to happen. So that's just really really not going to help you with your goals.
Speaker 1:
So I would also say that, with your goals, do it differently to how you've done it before, because it's what is it? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. I think that's Einstein quote. I don't know, it's questionable, but apparently Einstein said that. So, doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. So if you're going to start a resolution this year and if it's something you've done before, maybe I have a different way of approaching it, whether it's the mindset, or whether it's the way you're going to do it, the eating style or the support network around you, or whether or not you're going to book it and see me, or whoever it is. But just have a different approach to it, because sometimes we need a different approach. If it didn't work before, why will it work again? And maybe it was a mindset. So maybe the different approaches change your mindset and do the same thing. I don't know, but just be aware of changing it up somehow to kind of to accommodate it from a different angle.
Speaker 1:
So the next thing is to have a really good goal, because what I see people say, first of all, like I said, it has to be your goal. If it's someone else's goal, you're just not going to do it. But the second thing is that people will have goals where they say I want to lose five kilos or this or that. And look, it may be sometimes that can be really motivational for people. And it can be motivational in regards to sometimes for people if they want to get to their wedding dress or if there's a specific reason like that, often it can be quite motivational. But other than that I find it's not that motivational.
Speaker 1:
And what I find people do is, I don't know for many people, I need to lose five kilos or whatever it is, or I want to lose five kilos. It's not the thing that sort of stops you from going to the drive here on the way home, or it's not the thing, that kind of you turn something down and say, no thanks, I'm not going to have any more. Whatever it is For me to do that consistently, there has to be the goal, has to be a bit more. You have to be much more connected to that goal. So it could be about the five kilos, or may or may not be about weight at all. However, I think it's going to be about what whatever that thing is going to help you achieve. So if the five kilos is going to help you to manage your blood sugar levels and so therefore have better energy and better overall health and be around to be with your kids or your grandkids, that's a great goal.
Speaker 1:
So what you might picture is not so much that my goal is to lose five kilos, but my goal is to be really healthy and have plenty of time with the grandkids, right? Or it might be that when you eat in a certain way, it causes you joint pain and or your skin to break out or whatever. So it might be OK, I'm going to eat that way because it gives me really clear skin and I'm not itchy and I'm not uncomfortable. Or it might be that I'm going to eat this way because I won't be in pain. So it might be about for me. A lot of my goals are around functionality and not being in pain, so that's sort of how I choose what I think about.
Speaker 1:
So when I think about, am I going to have that? That's I think about. Well, what's, what is, what's the result of having that, what does that look like? And do I? Do I really want that? And that kind of doesn't make me think about how much I'm going to indulge in something, if I'm going to indulge at all. And so, really, if your goal is something that you can really kind of in your you know, you can imagine it and feel it and touch it, and it's like something that's really real to you, it could be that you want to do a big European trip, but at the moment you're not well enough to do that. Or you might be to walk around and get off, get off the bus and go and look at things or whatever it is. So it has to be something for you. That's really really kind of the five kilo thing, for most people doesn't do it to keep them motivated. However, if you have something really specific that you're aiming towards a way you want to feel a certain health, you want to have been around for the grandkids, whatever it is European trip that tends to keep people more motivated.
Speaker 1:
The other thing, too, is to understand that we actually have this thing called a reptilian brain and their reptilian brain wants to keep us safe no matter what, and the way it keeps us safe is it stops us from doing anything, that any change, because change is all threatening and bad as far as a reptilian brain is concerned. So when we do start on a new health protocol, a new dietary approach, something like that, what happens is a reptilian brain starts to freak out, usually after a week or two, going oh what are you doing this for? This is a bad idea, and essentially the reptilian brain just doesn't like change. It thinks it's all bad and it's all threatening. Of course it's not all bad and it's not all threatening. So just understand that. That's just a natural part of how our brain works. And you can just one of two things If you go and slow and steady, you might not trigger your reptilian brain, so instead, he's always a good idea anyway.
Speaker 1:
The other is you know when it does happen, you sort of have that conversation with your reptilian brains, that I'm safe, I'm fine, and you might talk to me or your personal trainer or your best friend or whoever it is, because often when this happens, people go into a shame spiral. They feel ashamed like there's something wrong with them. And there's nothing wrong with you. It's just a human trait that we've got this reptilian brain, so just understand that. It's most likely it's going to come up. It's not because you're a terrible failure and you're terribly shameful, it's because you've got a human brain, that's all. So I think when you understand that it's just part of the normal way our brain works, then you don't get caught up in the shame spiral, because that happens.
Speaker 1:
So look, the other thing is to like things like planning for how you're going to succeed, what that's going to look like so it might be. Who's going to give you support? How are you going to do it? Do you need to go shopping first? You need to clean out your pantry. Do you need to look at what's coming up in your schedule and kind of plan for how you're going to deal with that? Do you need to start at a different time?
Speaker 1:
Because maybe new year's resolution, maybe, maybe even just starting on the 1st of January is really triggering to you because you've messed up lots of times, or maybe it's just a difficult time of you. For you it's a stressful time of year and you find it really hard to do that. You might say, well, I've been going to start on the 15th of January, I'm going to start on the 1st of March. I don't know whatever it is, but so kind of, look at what are the things that will support you to make it happen. Who can be in your court? Who can be a support person? Who can you be accountable to? Have you got accountability partner that you can just message every day and say, hey, look, I've been to the gym or I've been for my walk or whatever. So it's kind of what are the? What are the strategies that you will put in place to support you?
Speaker 1:
Because Need support and sometimes we definitely need support on our hardest days when we want to go through the drive through. And if you want to go through the drive through, it's more likely going to happen if you didn't already organize something to eat when you get home. If you've got something for when you go home, you're more likely to go home for that, but if you haven't planned for that, late in your time, more likely to go through the drive through and want to get something because you're hungry? Or did you need to arrange to have a snack to have in the car on the way home? Because if you don't, you will go through the drive through or you'll go on by the chocolate on the way to the train station or whatever it is right. So it's planned for how you're going to do this. As much as you can do to support yourself is a really good idea.
Speaker 1:
And look, identify if emotional eating is an issue for you, if it is changing your diet might be really challenging if you're not dealing with the emotions behind why you're eating that way. So sometimes you need more support and that's what I specialize in or whoever it is that you see. But sometimes we need more support around. If we're using food as a way to manage our mental health, to manage health, to manage how we feel, then we don't necessarily want to let that go. So if you go on any diet and lifestyle type program, it might ultimately fail because you haven't sort of dealt with the emotions and the stress that you've got going on.
Speaker 1:
So if you do any of the diet and lifestyle changes you need to start looking into or do at the same time to start looking into what are your triggers for your emotional or stress eating and what's behind that and how. What are other ways of managing that and talked about that in some other episodes, and I also work with clients individually on that online if you need support around that. So just be aware that if that's a really big part of what's going on for you, every time you start one of these, whatever diet and lifestyle program, you'll probably see that you'll fail over and over again if you're not addressing the actual underlying issue of why you're going for that food. So if we go into these things with a fresh approach, looking at what's really going on rather than kind of this time, I'll do it Sometimes that could be really useful to might take a bit longer, but it can be really useful to figure out what's going on underneath at all and understand what's affecting you, so that they're the kinds of things that can get in the way or can can cause your problems in regards to achieving your your health goals and please. The other thing, too, is I'll say to you is I do some online programs I'm not going to talk about any of them directly right here, but I will put in the link from my website and you can go on and have a look and see what I've got coming up, because I will most likely be doing one in regards to helping you achieve your New Year's health goals. So please go to my website, informedhealthcom today you, and check out what I've got coming up there. So, anyway, I hope that you have a great New Year, and a big part of that is around planning and around reassessing, reframing the way that we've done things before doing it a little bit differently.
Speaker 1:
And I would say that a really good way to start New Year's is by just being kind to ourselves, because sometimes one of the biggest things that can get in the way of us achieving our health goals is we're often very unkind to ourselves. You would not treat your friends the way that you treat yourself often. So maybe start with being kind, then start looking at maybe what are some of the challenges that you're having, get the support or help that you need around that and put these things into place that I've been talking about, because if you sort of just go into the New Year's resolution and you're just going to start, you'll find that you probably won't last a week if you haven't really thought about, well, how are you going to do it and why are you doing it, and what support do you need and what might get in the way, and are you stress eating and is that going to cause you a problem, right? So it is worth having this conversation with yourself, or with a practitioner or a friend before you get started, so that you can think about what you need to put into place to support you achieving your health goals. So, anyway, I will leave it at that.
Speaker 1:
Please, don't forget to like and subscribe and share these episodes, as how I get my well, more people will see and hear these tips and this information and get benefit from it if they know about it. So please, please, share this with your friends and like, subscribe all those things makes a big difference if people subscribe to podcasts rather than just watch it. So if you can do that, I would really appreciate it. I hope those tips are useful for you. I'm always happy to see your feedback and let me know what works for you, and maybe even, if you would like to, you can share. Wherever you're seeing this or hearing this, you can share in the comments what your goals are for this year, if you have any, if you would like to. Anyway, I will talk to you all again next time. Thank you and happy new year. Bye.