21 Days of Healthy Holiday Habits–Goals
Hello there! Welcome to the first day of the Healthy Holiday Habits series! I know some of you may want to smack me for jumping on the holiday bandwagon already, but hopefully that urge will pass as you realize my intentions are for the greater good. 🙂
I thought it would be fitting to start out with the most basic tool to use when trying to adopt new habits–setting goals! Most people wait until the new year to set resolutions. This time of year many of us figure it’s too late in the game to make changes or it’s pointless anyway because we’ll just fall off the wagon as soon as all those holiday parties start. The reality is, there are still two whole months left of 2017! Do you know how much progress you can make on any type of goal in two months??
Yes, this time of year can get crazy. Yes, I think it is ok to indulge a little bit here and there. However, if you set defined, realistic goals, you can still manage to do some personal growth and perhaps enjoy this time of year even more for it. Trying to lose 20 pounds before the end of the year may not be realistic for some (though I have seen people do it!), but working out at least 30 minutes 5 days a week can be very doable for most people.
I wrote down a few of my goals yesterday, so I am happy to share a few of them with you to give you a few ideas. I generally do not have any issues with workout motivation (occupational hazard), so mine are a little more focused on mental health and professional growth. I have wanted to incorporate meditation into my daily routine for quite a while. As of today, I am on a 17-day streak of meditating daily for at least three minutes. I would like to continue that for the entire month of November. Since I have already begun the habit, making it a daily goal is very reasonable at this point. I will sharing more on meditation later on in the series in case this is a goal of yours, too!
One of my other goals I have written down is to wear my hair down at least twice a week for a minimum of half the day throughout the remainder of the year. It may sound a little silly or frivolous, but I tend to whip my locks up into the same bun day after day. The bun is very functional, but it feels nice to take a little bit of time occasionally to look a slightly more put-together. Interior confidence should not be wholly linked to what is on the exterior, in my humble opinion. However, I know I tend to feel a little more confident when I have taken some care in presenting my outer self to match the inner.
There are so many options for picking some goals to achieve before year-end. My key tips would be to pick five main goals that you really want to accomplish. Try to make sure they follow the SMART strategy as much as possible. Truly think about what is realistic based on your lifestyle and commitments. My big tip here–write them down!! If you do not write it down or record it somehow, you are much less likely to actually do it!
If you really want to jump into it, leave a note in the comments below what goals you are setting this year. Perhaps it will not only help you get started, but may also help inspire someone else. 😉
