Small Steps and Your ONE Mission for 2023

Here we are in January 2023, and once again, people say they would like to lose weight.

Great. Now what?

Join WW or start a meal planning service subscription?

Join a gym or revive your membership?

Shop for a slew of supplements?

Buy a new kitchen appliance?

What have you done in the past that worked?

What didn’t work?

Whether this is your first, fourteenth, or 40th time embarking on a weight loss plan, you need to find what will work and is sustainable for you and your lifestyle.

What is the reason, or reasons, for doing this?

Why now? Because it is January?

To look better, feel healthier, have more energy, or all of these?

Are you doing this with your partner, spouse, family, friends, or just for yourself? It would be best to do it for yourself and not for another person.

People must often overcome the overwhelm of where to start and what to do.

There is an approach of extreme changes – attempting to tackle multiple things simultaneously. For example, starting an exercise program, hiring a personal trainer, drinking a gallon of water daily, starting a supplement regimen, starting meal planning, prepping and not eating out, cutting out sugar, cutting out carbs, cutting out coffee, participating in dry January, and all this month.

Can you say “shock and awwwww”?

Okay – indeed, a lot of people do this. And they are just waiting for the first of February to be “done.”

So, try a different approach this year.

What is the ONE thing you want to accomplish in 2023 regarding your health and wellness?

Better fitness? How will you measure that?

Better health? What exactly? Improved blood pressure, improved cholesterol numbers, improved what?

Weight loss? How will you accomplish this and still live your life?

Diets are often temporary. Cutting out foods and food groups you want and would still like to eat won’t work long-term. On the other hand, having a long list of “no” foods can be depressing.

Consider small steps to reach your goal healthily and sustainably without feeling deprived of what you want to eat. For example, cutting out dozens of foods or certain food groups is only helpful if you never want to eat them again.

What are small steps?

Consider one primary goal per month. And mini goals each week. And smaller goals to move you forward each day.

For example, rather than going out in the first couple of weeks to exercise an hour every day, consider exercising for 10-15 minutes daily or every other day or accumulating 150 minutes weekly.

Rather than saying you will run without stopping, consider that a run-walk combination is a way to start. And reduce the risk of injury.

When you say you are going to cook at home more – consider doing it three or four days a week, with no exceptions, rather than saying you will do that every day or even six days a week.

When you say you will start a supplement regimen, look at what you might need instead of going for 5-10-15 different ones that may not be helpful, necessary, or harmful.

Why are you considering this when you say you will cut out coffee? Is it a costly habit? Do you not like the feeling of being “dependent” on it? Or another reason? (Coffee is not a “bad” thing to consume.)

Small Steps

While people think they can exercise, cook at home daily, start a supplement regimen, and cut out coffee – they can! Absolutely, and how long will it last?

How many times have you attempted this? And how long has it lasted?

It isn’t that you can’t or shouldn’t do this. Exercising and cooking at home are undoubtedly good for us.

But, unfortunately, most people don’t benefit from a slew of supplements – and are overpaying for placebo (or for fillers more than the actual product). And coffee is not that bad.

Consider having patience.

Consider one thing to focus on this month.

Consider that it is okay to drink coffee still, exercise three times a week, and maybe skip all those pills.

Consider that it is okay to not worry about the overhaul in January but consider just one thing – like drinking more water or eating more mindfully. It is okay not to do the diet bandwagon, dry January, and sugar detox. It is okay.

Consider that small steps will still get you to your destination, and enjoy the journey.

Small steps work.