2019 is my year to get healthy. There is no question that this is the word I need to focus on this year; I have pushed this word off of my agenda for years. I am focusing on both mental and physical health, as they are equally important for my success.

One big distinction my focus that is that I will not define my health by fixating on a certain number on the scale. Do I need to lose weight? Absolutely. But those that know me well would tell you that I have spent most of my 23 years on this earth needing to lose weight. My doctor would tell you I could gain weight eating tree bark. Instead, my health will be defined by the efforts that I put in week by week. I will track my calories on MyFitnessPal, do cardio and abdominal exercises 4 days a week, see a counselor regularly, and journal my thoughts when I feel the need to express my feelings. Going into March, I have seen dramatic increases in my health. I have more energy, my clothes are fitting different, and my self-confidence has improved.

Some of my strategies that have worked so far are:

Knowing that I’m not alone

Early on in my thoughts about health, my leader JoDee asked me to be her accountability partner. She knew that I was getting back into running and that I wanted to be healthier, and she had health goals as well. Every Monday morning, we meet and talk about our progress, our struggles, what worked for us, and what did not. We support each other by celebrating our victories and being candid when needed. This has been a big blessing to us both, and we have made great progress in our health journeys!

I do it with a friend. Having a workout partner makes the time go by a lot quicker and keeps me motivated. Several times a week, I convince my boyfriend to visit the gym with me. He is not as interested in health as I am, but knowing that he is there making an effort as well makes a huge difference.

Be strategic

I make an appointment with myself and refuse to cancel it. I recently acquired this concept by reading Rachel Hollis’s book, Girl, Wash Your Face. Rachel explains in a chapter how she used to break promises to herself all the time, but breaking plans with yourself and giving up on your own goals sends your subconscious the wrong message. Instead, I plan out what days I am going to work out and I do not cancel. Yes, even if I still have work to do when I get back. Yes, even if I’m missing the most recent episode of This Is Us. I owe it to myself, and so do you.

One thing that I recognized about my relationship with health, is that when my goals get hard, I start riding the excuse train. Instead, I have created a strategy for when I want to quit. A few weeks ago, I listed all of the reasons why I want to be healthier. Many of these reasons are deeply engrained in the person I want to grow to be, and they drive me to push forward. When I am having a pity party about why getting healthy is hard, I go back to that list.

Giving myself grace

Studies have shown that 80% of people fail their New Year’s resolution by February. Once they take that first bite of chocolate, say a naughty word, or add clutter to their space once, the resolution has been broken and they give up. Have I failed myself some weeks? Absolutely. There have been days where I do break down and eat the cookie that has been staring at me from across the room. There have been days when I skipped the gym because I was too drained. Heck, there have been entire weekends where my health goal has gone out the window. But instead of giving up, I give myself grace, refocus, and start again.

Can Purple Ink help improve your team’s health by creating a wellness plan or taking care of some responsibilities that are causing stress? Reach out to us for more information!

Click here for more on Purple Ink’s 2019 words of the year.