Reflection and Becoming the Best You in 2019

As the year is coming to a close many of us are running around trying to get all that holiday shopping and those year-end due dates completed while balancing out family time, work, and of course coming up with our New Year’s Resolutions. Despite the craziness of this time of the year,many of us find some time to reflect on the last year: what we liked, what we didn’t like, and what we want to accomplish in the next year. During our reflections, it is great if we have been able to honor our accomplishments in the last year, but many times our focus turns to those things we wished we could have done better or what decisions we are judging ourselves for, whether it has to do with nutrition, weight, exercise and body image or business, love and friendships, family, etc.  In this blog post, I want to discuss the importance of reflecting on the past year without judgement and steps you can take to make realistic goals that you can maintain and be successful to become the best you in 2019.

The Importance of Reflecting Without Judgement-Reflection is something that can be so beneficial; it allows us to evaluate our past actions and learn what actions or decisions enrich and benefit our lives and those that maybe did not have the best or most successful results. While many times we want to place judgement on ourselves in the latter situation, it is important to take a different approach. Rather than putting ourselves down, it is important to learn from both our successes and our “less successful/more detrimental decisions.” By taking our experiences and using them as an opportunity for growth and improvement it allows us to approach future decisions with a positive outlook and motivation based on knowledge and self-love rather than negativity and distrust of our own abilities. So when you are reflecting on this past year, take everything as a positive learning experience and an opportunity for continued and new successes!

Making Realistic, Maintainable Goals to Become to Best You 2019- While it is always important to dream big and feel inspired to reach any healthy goals you may have in life, developing realistic, maintainable goals are crucial in helping you reach your larger goals and becoming your best you. For example, many of us come up with one of the usual top 10 new year’s resolutions to “go to the gym more,” “lose weight,” “Get organized,” “learn a new skill or hobby,” “save money,” “spend more time with our loved ones,” etc., but either don’t come up with a real plan to accomplish those goals or look for a quick fix.  When it comes to health goals, for example, we say we are going to go to the gym a lot more and follow “x-fad diet” for 30 days to lose the weight we want to and be healthier.

• There are a couple problems with these goals, they are usually extreme and don’t provide a plan for maintenance. A couple easy shifts can allow these goals to become maintainable. For example,looking at an exercise goal- I have 1. scheduled and paid/budgeted (if necessary) for a physical activity 2. that I enjoy 3. 2-3 days a week whether it is running, ballroom dancing, yoga, basketball, swimming, or weight lifting, etc.It is key to 4. choose a time on your schedule that can be consistently met week to week and  5. include it in your weekly activities that are considered a priority.

• When looking at weight loss and nutrition, there are a couple aspects that are important to consider if you truly want to accomplish and maintain your goals. 1. Working with a Registered Dietitian to find a plan that fits your needs best is a great place to start, which allows you to also 2. have a source of accountability.Having a plan that 3. does not feel restrictive, 4. includes variety, balance, moderated portion sizes, and 5.  wisely timed eating is important to success. 6. Being aware and mindful of your usual eating habits biggest previous struggles with “eating right” and working through solutions to combat those potential experiences to help stop or minimize them can be helpful in future success. 7. Meal prepping and finding quick solutions for a busy schedule can also be helpful in succeeding with weight and health goals.  8. Setting a realistic time frame from achieving your goal is important, but also 9. ensuring that you have a plan beyond your deadline for maintenance. 10. Lastly,loving your body at every stage of the process can help minimize frustrations if you experience any plateaus or your body composition changes more than the number on the scale.

Whether your goals and resolutions are health based,business based, or family and relationship based using these specific attainable goals (SMART goals) allow you to break down your large goals into smaller, less overwhelming steps that help make your end goals become a reality. 

So this year while you are reflecting on 2018 and coming up with your New Year’s Resolutions for 2019, keep your reflections non-judgmental and allow yourself to create realistic, maintainable goals to feel like and become your best you in 2019!

I wanted to finish this post with a thank you to each and every one of you who have read my blog posts as well as those of you who have played such a great role in my growth and development as an individual and practitioner this past year! I am looking forward to continued growth and learning experiences, helping individuals find their best them, as well as becoming my best me in 2019!

Wishing you a Happy Holidays and much success in 2019,

-Ricci-Lee Hotz, MS, RDN

Denver’s Dancing Dietitian

A Taste of Health, LLC

“Improving Quality of life one bite at a time”

https://dancesportdietitian.com