How To Make A Resolution And Stick To It

An article by Claire    No Comments

Did you make New Year’s Resolutions? Now we are half way through February, how are you doing? Have you already fallen off the wagon? Maybe my journey will give you some ideas of what to try next.

In January 2013, I made one single resolution. To improve my health. I was 3 stone overweight, achy, tired and lower than I had ever been. The vessel I called my body was alien to me and hung awkwardly around my frame. It was time for a change but what helped me make that change last 12 months and counting. But I didn’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions, so I had to combat the expectation of failure as well as tackle some serious habit changing.

There was no grand plan, only a path to step on and follow on which I embarked on a combination of activities and mini-projects. This is the sequence of events which actually stem from August 2012.

Wading up from the darkness

It was an acquaintance who introduced me to the idea that exploring my emotional relationship with food and exercise could help me change habits for ever. So I embarked on a series of E.F.T., a mixture of positive affirmations and reflective counselling. I didn’t pursue it long enough to have a direct effect on my eating but it certainly clarified the sources of my frustration and fear of failure. I changed my view on how my relationships with family and friends are linked to my general well-being. It was a confident step on the path to a better me.

Rock Bottom

Despite a positive start on the counselling, when I stopped, I drifted towards what I call ‘rock bottom’. It was as if I had to let myself loose and prove how bad it could get. I unleashed what I call the ‘food monster’. I was never full and craved excessive amounts of sugar and starchy foods. After a 10 week binge leading up to and including Christmas 2012, I felt awful. I could not make it to the top of the stairs without getting out of breath. Now I would not advocate this as a vital step for change but recognising ones demons is important.

A Breath Of Fresh Air

As I stated in my opening, I do not believe in making New Year’s Resolutions, I even wrote about it here. Too often have I made long lists of things I would like to change in my life with no thought about how and when I was going to manage them. Despite being unrealistic, what I now know is I lacked a certain amount of self-belief to change the precise things I wanted.

Stepping On The Scales

I spent January making small changes. I went out for power-walks, cut back on sugar, alcohol and fat. But I didn’t weigh myself, nor measure anything. I wanted my body to feel healthy first before facing the mountain to climb. February 1st I stepped on the scales. It was a shock but no real surprise, just very sad how things had gotten out of control. Recording my weight, plus some measurements around my hips and waist gave me a starting point.

Can I Really Run 10k?

Running along Santa Monica beach

After 4 weeks of regular power-walks, which gradually turned into jogs I ran my first 5k without stopping. And I enjoyed it. Which distinguished the experience from all the other fitness plans I had attempted. I wanted to enter a race, to validate my efforts and while mulling it over with my sister, she suggested going for a 10k. “If you can already run 5k, you can train to run 10k,” she stated and was right. I entered the Horsham 10k run and the Barns Green Marathon the next day.

After researching training plans on-line, I devised one of my own to take me to both events, even planning my training while on a family ‘trip of a lifetime’ to the States. I became a ‘running tourist’, taking in my new surroundings through routes I mapped in advance of any trip. I ran along the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee through plantations at Clarksdale, Mississippi, alongside antebellum homes in Natchez and along tram tracks in the Garden District in New Orleans.

Six Months To Life

Nervously, after 6 months of continued fitness and dropping 2 dress sizes, I began to think this way of eating and being active could be for life. However, I had been at this point on a weight loss journey before. And no sooner as I had pat myself on the back for a job well done, the bad habits started to creep very slowly back into my life. I had merely banished them for a long vacation! This time I wanted them to be a dim and distant memory. Could this be for life? Yes, I confidently told myself and still do.

A random sign from the race organisers. Fit, Fab and 40!

I completed the 10k and the half-marathon 4 months later. The medals hang from my desk, my race number blue-tacked to the wall. The achievement has brought confidence to other areas of my life, the courage to go with my instincts on .

Stepping Off The Scales

By September, I made the brave decision to stop weighing myself. My infatuation with the scales was derailing my main focus of sticking to a balanced diet and keeping my body strong. The disappointment of not shifting a single lb after a grueling week of work-outs was in danger of sending me fast in the direction of ‘rock bottom’ again. I use the tape measure as my main guide, monitoring how I feel in my clothes (although, be warned, the mind is a powerful tool to deceive how you really feel compared to other times).

Accepting The Reality

I love food, I love wine. These things are not going to change. I have accepted the hard truth I will most likely have to track my eating indefinitely, if I want to stay fit. But it’s a small price to pay for quality of life, now and in my advancing years. The exercise on the other hand, is a firm part of my life. Mainly because it not only a calorie burning and weight control tool but a valuable method for stress-busting and increasing productivity.

The true measurement of success will be after the 2 year mark, as most people gain the weight they lose on a ‘diet’ after two years (and a little extra). But it’s a good story so far, enough to keep me confident and moving ahead on the path.

Claire Jones-Hughes