Let me start this post with telling you that I am not a fan of weight loss resolutions. Specifically ones that require you to wake up on January 1st and be a completely different person. I think we all know how those typically play out. On January 1st you set the alarm for 5 am. You spend a few days packing away portioned vegetables and pinning clean eating recipes. The first week is great. You’re feeling better than you’ve ever felt. You declare that this is the new you.
Week two comes along and you start hitting the snooze button. By Friday of week two you are rewarding yourself with pizza and a beer. Within 24 hours you’re on the other end of the spectrum. The problem with this scenario is that it’s completely unbalanced. You have to crawl before you can walk. To go from a cookie coma to a gym obsessed protein maniac is asking a lot of your body.
So, I challenge you to ask yourself. What if this year could be different? What if this year you started in a little easier on yourself so that by week two you were going strong and not feeling deprived? It’s entirely possible and it will also lead to lasting changes that you make you feel good versus disappointment that another healthy resolution went down the tubes.
INTRODUCING THE FRESH FIT KITCHEN HEALTHY CHANGES CHALLENGE
What I propose is a little different from other challenges you may see in your feeds this January. We aren’t going to banish anything. We are going to make small incremental changes that improve your over all health. Every week for 30 days you’ll get information on healthy meals, lifestyle changes, and some emotional support to make the changes you want for your overall health.
I emphasize over all health because this journey is physical as well as mental. To be completely healthy you have to deal with all the things. If you think it just starts and ends with diet, exercise and a smaller pants size, you’re wrong and you will likely be on a roller coaster your entire life versus a path to health. Like a roller coaster diets usually begin with a steep climb. You reach the top and then where to go? As you reach the top, you slowly begin the slide back down to where you started only to plunge back into those same habits that got you there. Diets don’t work.
A path to over all health is more like a long hike. It’s not always as exciting. There are peaks and valleys, but it lasts far longer than the roller coaster ride. The summit is reached when you eat without fear. When physical activity is a reward rather than a punishment for that donut you ate. It’s also a place where all foods are available all the time so you listen to your internal cues rather than constantly being on a set of ridged rules or completely off the rails.
I’M IN. WHEN DO WE START ? HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Couple of things here my friends:
- The Fresh Fit Healthy Changes Challenge is FREE. All you have to do is be on my mailing list and follow me on Instagram. To sign up for my mailing list just scroll down on this post.
- Follow me on Instagram @Freshfitkitchen. We will follow along with each other on Instagram using the hashtag #FFKChallenge. You can follow hashtags on Instagram now. This will allow you to see what others are doing and swap ideas easily.
- I will be adding recipe demos and live demos to my Insta Stories. You’ll be able to see me make recipes and inbox me with questions.
- The challenge begins January 8th and will run until February 6th. The first week of January should be a prep week. There will be more to come here, but it’s not about food. It’s about setting your life up for these changes.
- Please note that this information will only be available via email so you have to sign up for my mailing list.
Here are some things to be thinking about now:
Organize yourself. Get Christmas put away by the first week of Jan. Organize your pantry, fridge and any other clutter that stresses you out. You have to set up an environment that feels like a clean slate. Old environments are where old habits live.
- Write down your goals and really visualize the things you want to change in the coming year. A vision board is a great way to do this or just buy a pretty note book and start writing it down. Emphasis on writing though. Pen to paper is the way to go.
- Think through what works for your life. If you have a busy schedule, really think about ways to sneak exercise in. Don’t rely on some exercise of will power to get you out of bed at 4AM. Write down the goal and how you intend to accomplish it , then review for how doable it actually is.
- Make a shopping list and meal plan. Although this is a helpful tool if weight loss is your goal, it’s also a great way to remain organized and save money. I love my Skinnytaste Meal Planner. It’s spiral bound and includes everything you need to plan your meals for you and your family.
- Think about something you’ve been wanting to do for yourself. Maybe it’s a massage, a new hair cut, or a mini vacay. Make it a priority to have things on your calendar that you look forward to. This isn’t about reward or punishment. This is about being happy and balanced. People who are happy in life don’t reach for vices. There’s a reason the box of chocolates disappear after a hard day. Focus on having fewer hard days not on resisting the chocolate.
Here’s the link to purchase the Skinnytaste Meal Planner:
*This is an affiliate link. This means I receive a small commission from Amazon if you purchase through this link.
Start the Journey to Lasting Change
I really hope you’ll go on this journey with me this year. A few years ago, I dropped some weight. I found out along the way that weight was not my chief problem. Balance was my problem. I was on a roller coaster of feast or famine. My work life was crazy and that left no time for exercise. I hated the work I was doing and that made me come home and indulge in vices like wine and pizza.
The food and exercise were a small piece of the reason I felt unhealthy. When I found a new career; I was happier and I wanted to exercise. Wine and pizza were not needed to cope with a bad day. We got our dog Stanley and walks became necessary both for him and for me. I started this blog and people began depending on me to bring them healthy recipes. My creativity had an outlet and I stayed excited about my work. My health improved when I made changes to the things that were no longer working for me.
It may not be as drastic as a job change for you. But, I encourage you to ask yourself the hard questions, because simply vowing to lose weight. Believing it will change everything you’re unhappy about in life, will only lead to major disappointment. It’s like putting a fresh coat of paint on a car with an engine that’s about to blow. Anyone who tells you that lasting change requires obsession or ignoring the big picture is selling you a diet culture that profits off of sending you up and down that roller coaster.
So, I’ll be over here hiking the path. I’d love to take you all along with me. Scroll down and sign up for my mailing list so you can join the Fresh Fit Kitchen Healthy Changes Challenge.
Lisa
Sunday 7th of January 2018
Looks like fun! I'm in!!
Krysten
Sunday 7th of January 2018
;) yay!