How is 2020 going so far? How are you doing with your plans for taking care of your body, life, or marriage this year?
Did you decide in January to make some healthy changes, maybe by deciding to eat healthier, exercise more, or lose weight? Or did you decide to slow down, take control of your schedule, or make some time for yourself? Or maybe you decided to invest in your marriage or just have more fun with your husband?
If you decided to make any kind of healthy change this year, now is a great time to evaluate and figure out how you’re doing. If things are going well and you’re making progress, great. Give yourself a pat on the back for what you’ve done and keep going.
But if you’ve gotten off track, don’t get angry or overly frustrated with yourself. Take a few minutes today or tomorrow to figure out what happened. What got in your way and kept you from making the change you wanted to make?
March 1 is a perfect time to regroup and either keep up with what you’re doing or start over. It’s the beginning of a new week and a new month – a perfect time to make a new start.
Here are the two things I’m doing this weekend, and I invite you to do them too:
1. Reward yourself for the changes you have made. Whether you’ve made a lot of progress or just a little bit since January 1, acknowledge what you’ve done. For example, I wanted to lose 10 pounds by now (on the way to losing 15), but I’ve only lost 7.5. In one sense that’s super frustrating, because it’s a really slow rate of weight loss. On the other hand, I’m 7.5 pounds lighter than I was on January 1! It’s not the progress I wanted, but it is progress.
So this weekend I’m giving myself a pat on the back for what I have done, and focusing less on what I haven’t done. I also got myself a little reward – a new pair of workout pants and 2 workout t-shirts. (If you have Belk department stores where you live, the Zelos brand of athletic wear is currently 50% off!)
And I encourage you to do something similar. We’re so quick to beat ourselves up when we don’t do everything we wanted to do, but we’re slow to acknowledge the things we have done. And I think we need that kind of encouragement.
2. Make a plan for March. Wherever you are on your path to creating a healthier body, life, or marriage, take a few minutes this weekend to make a specific plan for how you’ll move forward in March. If possible, don’t just think about it while you’re doing other stuff, but take some time to sit down, think it through, and write it down.
When you commit to a goal in writing, you’re much more likely to achieve it.
And if you’ve had trouble getting on track, identify what’s getting in your way. What are the obstacles that are standing between you and the healthy life or marriage you want? And, how can you move those obstacles out of the way.
If you’re feeling stuck, here are some health living and healthy marriage ideas that might help. And if you’re not a member of our Healthy Start Facebook group, I’d love for you to join us. We’re talking about and encouraging each other to make healthy changes this year.
What’s your plan for March? Leave a comment and let me know – I’d love to hear from you.
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