How Will You Lose Weight This Next Year?

New year. New goals. 

This time of year, everyone always asks what you’d like to do differently in the new year. I don’t know about you, but sometimes the laundry list of everything I really NEED to do differently can be somewhat overwhelming. 

I need to be more healthy. I need to be a better mom. I need to be more thoughtful about clients I take on. I need to make sure I have date night with my husband each week. I need to go to church more. You get the gist.

About five years ago, I decided I MUST get healthy after having my babies. Over the years, I had tried everything one could possibly do to lose weight…personal trainer, Weight Watchers, NutriSystem…you name it, I did it. 

So, how did I ultimately lose 80 pounds? I started small. I thought to myself the only way for me to achieve the goal of losing some weight and getting healthy was to get my butt to the gym five days a week, if not more. That was it. Keep consistent, and it’ll pay off. Two years later, I was down 80 pounds.

That experience of losing weight taught me a lot. First and foremost, it taught me that I can take charge of my life…and that was powerful. It also taught me that in order to do big things in this life, you must start with small changes. If you haven’t yet read Atomic Habits by James Clear…you gotta add this to your reading list. Soooo good!

For 2020, I’m not looking to change the world. Rather, I want to continue with some of the good habits I’ve already established and make small steps towards other things I’d like to do. Here’s how I plan to do it…..

Step One. I limit myself to two or three goals. I want to feel like I’m achieving something, and I can’t do that if I’m overwhelmed with a million ideas of everything I should be doing. I’ve got a few things I want to accomplish for both my personal and professional life. 

PERSONAL GOALS

• Workout 5 days a week, minimum 30 minutes per workout.

• Drink my green smoothie 5 days a week, along with 100 ounces of water daily.

• Date night with my husband each week.

PROFESSIONAL GOALS

• Learn everything I can about YouTube and optimize it for my business.

• Take on one more client.

• Get involved with at least one organization that lights my heart on fire in Dallas.

Step Two. Get out your calendar and schedule your goals. If you want to workout 5 days a week, put it on the calendar. If you want to learn about YouTube, take an online course or read about it at your local library…and schedule it. I’m serious about this one. If you don’t put these things in your calendar, there’s a high likelihood it’ll never happen.

I firmly believe that as humans, we tend to take the path of least resistance. That’s just how we’re wired. Accountability is key. If you don’t write down your goals or share them with others, you lose momentum and fast. I’ll give a big shout out to my friend, Kelley McGuire, who is an accountability coach…that’s what she DOES – she keeps her clients on track for success by staying in front of them and holding their feet to the fire. 

Step three. Consistency. You know, life will always throw you a curveball. The schedule will get whacked. Kids get sick. You lose a client. You name it. Something will happen to throw you off course. Maintaining consistency with whatever it is you want to achieve helps keep your head clear and in the game, even when life gets wacky. We all want to be able to look back at the prior year and say to ourselves, “ I kept that weight off” or “I maintained great client relationships even if I lost one along the way.” 

Here’s the thing…. If you get off track, just get back on when you’re ready. Don’t beat yourself up about it either. Life is crazy! 

One more thing…. I know some of you read this all the way through and are thinking, “she hasn’t made a goal to be a better mom in 2020…but yet she referenced it earlier.” You know what? I’ll absolutely be a better mom if I’m taking care of myself and my relationship with my husband. If I’m working out, drinking my water (and green smoothies!), I’ll have the energy to keep up with my kids. I’ll have the mental stamina and emotional capacity to be the best momma I can be. 

So…hang on for the ride and cheers to 2020!