Intuition is the buzzword of the year. When we bring awareness to these popular “problem” areas of restricting diets to lose weight, guilt-based exercise to change how our body looks, and that same focus to our finances, we can understand the wisdom behind the “why.”
EATING EXTREMES
Before you go Keto, Whole 30, Paleo or join any other fad diet disguised as a “lifestyle,” remember that 95 percent of attempts at weight loss actually end in weight gain. That’s because whether you call it a “reset” or “detox,” anything but a “diet,” it boils down to restrictive eating. And studies have shown, when you restrict, you end up binging. Rigid food rules can also lead to eating disorders, especially in young women. 95% of attempts at weight loss actually end in weight gain.
Instead, focus on the big picture of overall health. Most of the time, eating whole foods (not packaged products). Drinking more water (half of your body weight in ounces). And allowing for “life” (aka splurges without the guilt). An 80/20 clean eating ratio is realistic for most.
One easy suggestion for a more healthful mindset around food comes from Holly Mann, owner of Fresh Habits, which is a wellness coaching and meal delivery service based in Lancaster County (freshhabits.net). How many servings of vegetables to you actually eat each day? Mann says to ask yourself. “A simple yet very effective New Year's Resolution upgrade with your eating habits is to commit to eating a portion of vegetables at each meal for 18 out of the 21 meals each week (three meals per day times seven days per week equals 21 meals).” Wow! “Simply filling half of your plate with vegetables at most meals will have a huge impact on your skin, gut and overall health,” states Mann.
Pay attention to when you are hungry, what you are eating, when you are eating, and when you’ve had enough. When you bring intuition and awareness to this area often viewed with rigid restrictions, you free yourself from reactionary behaviors like binging and stress eating, and instead, live in the joy of the present moment.
Another concept that’s been popular over the past several years, body kindness, is when you learn to accept the body you’re in and focus on overall health for wellbeing, not to change the appearance of the body.
THE EXERCISE OF EXERCISE
We’ve all heard the complaints from regulars at the gyms who avoid the first month of the year while the people with resolutions go through the exercise of trying to exercise. Hitting it hard and heavy for 30 days and then falling off the bandwagon gets you nothing but sore muscles and feeling defeated. Instead, try small changes to your routine.
“Slow and steady is the name of the game when starting any new exercise regime,” says Patty Sibbach, co-owner of Precision Training Concepts, LLC of Harrisburg and Mechanicsburg (ptcfitness.com). “We encourage clients upon the new year to have a specific game plan and obtainable goals. Too many times, people give up because they don’t know what to do or how to properly exercise.” She continues, “Depending on experience, start with a combination of resistance training with weights and bands as well as cardiovascular movement on alternating days two to three times per week (30 to 60 minutes).” She cautions, “Allow for a day of rest in between workouts so soreness and recovery time can be monitored. You can eventually ramp up the number of exercise days.” Sibbach adds, “Obviously, fueling the body properly with the right nutrition is a key component too.” Commit to moving your body six days a week for 30 minutes a day.
Mann says to ask yourself: How often do you actually exercise your body throughout the week? She suggests, “If you're looking to improve your relationship with fitness I strongly suggest you commit to moving your body six days a week for 30 minutes a day,” adding, “This can certainly be accomplished in a structured class environment but it doesn't need to be if getting to the gym isn't working with your current lifestyle.” She says, “Be creative and keep it simple! Take a 30 minute brisk walk or run, trail hike, bike ride, yoga flow, or a few sets and reps with free weights.” Each of these suggestions are all simple yet very effective ways to enjoy those 30 minutes. You will create a physically active lifestyle while improving your overall health if you are consistent and committed for the long haul!
MONEY MATTERS
Many people aim to get their finances straight in the New Year. And most hope to make more money. But finances don’t just pertain to money. Financial wellbeing is based on more than the dollars in an account. Is the way you spend and save aligned with your values? Are you working toward achieving your goals (or the goals imposed by someone else’s norm or societal pressure such as that which comes from social media)? Digging deep to understand the value of time and getting intuitive about how you spend your time is the key to unlocking financial wellbeing. It really is true, time is money.
“One of the most popular New Year resolutions has to do with saving money, and or getting out of debt,” says Nicole Lewis-Keeber who has a personal coaching business and trains women entrepreneurs in particular around money mindsets (nicole.lewis-keeber.com). “The challenge with these resolutions is that people often fail at them because they are not assessing the whole picture of their money situation.” She continues, “As a coach for small business owners and certified Tapping Into Wealth Coach I see one of the biggest overlooked keys to changing your money picture.”
“In order to change your money situation, you must change your relationship with your money,” Lewis-Keeber states. “Did you know that your relationship with your money was created by the information that you downloaded as a kid from family, religion, community, etc.? Many of us never explore our money story or where it came from and so we are destined to repeat it.”
Here are two exercises she gives her clients to begin to explore their relationship with their money so they can change it.
1. Think about your family growing up. What messages did they teach you about money? Were you taught that there was never enough? That money was evil? How did you see the people around you behave around money? Now ask yourself if what you learned about money has helped you get ahead or has caused you to repeat the same patterns as your family. What is your family's money story? “I don't know about you but I heard a lot of scarcity-based statements about ‘money not growing on trees’ or that ‘money is the root of all evil,’” Lewis-Keeber adds.
2. Pay attention to your language around money. When you go to the store do you tell yourself, "I can't afford that" or "put that back do you think we are rich?" How are you relating to your money each and every day? Does your language empower you or set you up to feel like you are out of control. When I give a talk about money mindset, I will often have the audience say out loud. "I can't afford that," and then I will have them say, "I'm not going to spend my money on that right now" to see how both of those statements feel energetically. The latter feels less low-vibe and empowers your language and connection with your money. Same outcome different want of talking to yourself about it.
THE MORE YOU GET INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH [MONEY] THE EASIER IT IS TO DIRECT IT WHERE TO GO
The truth is that we are often mindless about money and our emotional connection to it, so the more you can dig in and get into a relationship with it the easier it is to direct it where to go.
Mann says to ask yourself: How much time do you actually set aside each month to intentionally look at your financial situation? “I'm talking about really planning your financial game plan for the year? Most people spend more time planning their vacation details than they do their financial details,” she reveals. January is the perfect time to commit to an upgraded New Year's resolution when it comes to the topic of money. My personal recommendation: Commit to a monthly money date with yourself and significant other. Schedule a date each month and put aside several hours each session and really dive in. Review your total monthly income and expenses, know the overall amount and type of debt you have, and then decide on a dollar amount to put towards your savings and debt payoff plans.” She suggests, “Get in the habit of asking yourself the following questions...What's going well? What adjustments need to be made? How do I FEEL about where I spend my money?” Mann concludes, “The more often you proactively look at your money with curiosity and openly talk about it, the more ownership you will take of the circumstances you are creating. Money is there to support us in living our best life. Start giving it the time and attention it deserves.”
