January is officially over, which means inspiration for New Year’s resolutions are dying down with it. As goofy and annoying as New Year’s resolutions sound, I believe there is a certain beauty to them. There is something hopeful and super awesome about people wanting to improve themselves and thrive in the new year. So, rather than letting go of all the hope of fulfilling a goal, and motivation at the end of January, remind yourself of all the reasons you desired a change in the first place.
(photo from googleimages.com)
Are you having a difficult time continuing at the gym/ anything fitness related?
Get a gym buddy!
In all honesty, I am terrible when it comes to motivating myself and keeping up with a stable work out routine. I get lazy and I often convince myself to do something else instead, even if I always feel like my hour in the gym was completely worth it. It’s even more complicated to push myself to go to the gym once all the stresses of real-life begin to kick in once the first couple weeks of January are over. But, finding a friend who is dedicated and who you love to spend time with is the perfect combination to join forces with when needing a good shove to get into the gym. Once you have a support system, even if it is one gym buddy, going to the gym and working out will begin to feel like less of a hassle. With a friend, there are several endless possibilities of having a great time (even if you are somewhere sweaty and your legs feel like noodles!) and it will benefit both of you when you go to the gym together. My personal favorite thing about going to the gym with a close friend of mine is that we’re both there to laugh away the pain and challenge/inspire one another to keep going. We even like to make a whole reward system out of it, setting ourselves up to work out to the max for an hour and treat ourselves to some lunch (we try to make it healthy so the gym trip stays worth it) or a smoothie. This makes going to the gym so much fun and leaves us feeling completely confident and awesome about ourselves, especially if we wake up feeling sore the next day- we’ll know for sure that we really did something beneficial for ourselves!
(photo from googleimages.com)
Realizing your diet is no longer a diet and mostly consist of cheat days?
Do your research and create a diet that suits you and that you’ll actually want to do rather than forcing yourself to follow something from Pinterest.
Let’s be real, dieting is never fun, especially if you see it as a torturous way to not eat what you really want to be eating. It can also be pretty hard to keep up with if you’re always on the run and just need something quick and convenient, such as fast food. But, if you take the time to do research in order to find and create a diet/ nutrition plan that sounds manageable, fun, and easy for you, dieting can be amazing! Don’t force yourself to eat certain greens if you don’t like them. If you like certain foods too much to give up, don’t, just look more into portioning and learning to control yourself. You will only truly stick to your goal of dieting if it’s something you like, prefer, and can actually do. Always remember, something that worked for other people, will not necessarily work for you. Also, things take time and different people respond differently, so if you’re not seeing the results you are dreaming of, do not let yourself become unmotivated, just keep up with it and you will begin too see some changes eventually, hang in there. Dieting may also be a bit pricey depending on which types of foods you’re eating, especially if you’re a broke college student like me, it can be complicated to afford it. So, in this case, try to find recipes for home-made food that can be a cheaper alternative for buying healthy meals when you’re out and about. You are unique, therefore your diet will be unique as well, so take the time to get to know yourself, get to know information online, and don’t let your nutrition habits become forced and dreadful.
(photo from googleimages.com)
Unhappy with your current work situation?
It may not seem like the most realistic option, but it’s viable and completely important for your health and happiness- quit!
Now, it may sound a lot easier said than done and trust me I understand 100% because I have been there before. But, at some point, you have to realize how much more you matter than some job that is constantly making you feel terrible and stressed and for what? You will find another job, you will make money somewhere else, but you never have to continue putting up with something that takes such a negative toll on you. It all begins with you. If your job is making you feel unhappy, then put in the hard work and take the initiative to find a new job that will better suit you and that you will actually be able to stand. No situation will last forever, but if you stick with your crappy job that is less than convenient just because you’re getting paid, you need to learn when to put your foot down and say that enough is enough. You are important. You should not be constantly stressed out because of a minimum wage, part-time job when there are so many other important and beautiful factors to life that you do not even have the time to pay attention to because you are always focused on work. I was suffering at my job for months on end with a daily slogan of “if you could just get through today, it’ll be fine”, but if you have to convince yourself to simply get through it rather than fully live in the moment, then you are not living at all. I ended up saving my money and applying to other jobs while still being employed at my job at the time and even though I had yet to find a job, I recognized how much more I was worth and how much I had been missing out on my youth, so I ended up sending my resignation email (of course giving them the two-weeks notice) and I felt truly powerful and excited for the first time in months. When the time came, I finally finished my days of working that job and even though I was still on the hunt for a new job, I finally felt ok with where I was and happy about it. Letting go of such a negative stressor in my life has helped me to become more focused on myself and my own self discovery and because of my decision to quit my horrible job, I was honestly smiling more and I had even heard from others that I was glowing. So, I’m here to tell you that things will be ok if you quit your job, it doesn’t always have to be seen as such a bad thing because it is for your own benefit.
(photo from googleimages.com)
Focus on yourself and live your best life. At the end of the day, we set New Years resolutions in order to become better versions of ourselves and to find ways to grow. So, rather than seeing our resolutions as just that, or things we try just for the month of January, challenge yourself. Find ways to truly met your goals and work hard to make them your reality. If you have a great support system, you will never be alone on your journey. Take advantage of your resources and apply them to your way of life. Never let a day go by that you end up regretting something that you had the chance to do. No matter what, do what makes you happy, what makes your blood flow and your heart race. Live your best life because you only have one.