Resolution or Not? Think Strong for 2021

Are you waiting for that 2021 reset? Every year, January 1st gets a lot of credit as a fresh start — but how often does that pressure backfire? It has happened to all of us.

Exercise. Read more. See the world (and so on). Big plans for the new year quickly fall short. We kick around in despair and many end up calling it quits by February. “I’ll circle back in December” as another year passes.

Even if you’re one of a select few with resolute success, we all should heed warning. New Year’s resolutions have a tendency to devolve from unforgiving expectations. Perfectly practical (long term) goals are mercilessly pitted on sudden change.

Take for example, many indulge on New Year’s Eve as a final hoorah before beginning a committed diet. They’ve done their research. They’ve pre-stocked their pantry with all the right foods. They’ve planned their intermittent-fasting schedule. They even go to bed feeling ready to rock for the new year.

Yet, come the morning they’re groggy. Metabolism is in a tailspin balancing the night’s excess. Even worse, they’re still 10 hours away from their next eating window. Suffice to say, the new diet didn’t work out.

Ignoring the Body

What could have had a healthy change instead started off with the wrong foot. This example highlights a root problem in failed resolutions. We plan for quick changes without treating our bodies (or psychology) realistically. We idealize an expedient (or easy) change and quickly find defeat. Optimism turns empty, and we give up.

If only metaphorically, to go from cake at midnight right into a keto diet is to risk failure. It’s better to take it easy and balance changes gradually.

Some Practical Health Changes for 2021

New Year’s resolutions are a common study for the science of new habits. Since research says even the most resolute may stumble, we learn that smaller steps are more realistic, and most important in long term changes.

Consider these gradual health resolutions for 2021:

Stop Drinking Coffee in 2021 — If you’ve been feeling the burn of coffee eat away at consistent energy, then the New Year is all you. You can skip the throes of caffeine…