Every January, a lot of folks make resolutions that usually include incorporating new healthy habits for a plethora of reasons. And every Summer, we usually check back in only to realize we haven’t kept up with them. Only 9% of people maintained their resolutions in 2023. But why? What’s so hard about making a decision to change something and then keeping it? I have a few theories up my sleeve.
Healthy Habits Start With a Promise
Think about it, you’re telling yourself you’re going to change something. You’re making a promise to yourself that something is about to happen. And then, when you don’t do that thing, the promise is broken.
Reframe this pattern in application to a friend or someone you love. If they make a promise to you and then break it, only to re-make the promise and break it again 1-100 times, you’re going to lose trust.
This external relationship is no different than the one with yourself.
Each time you make a promise to yourself, and break it, a little bit of trust is lost. Think about how often that happens. Now think about how few promises you make with others and moreover, how many promises you make and keep out of those you’ve made. I’d venture to say you keep most of them because they’re intentional, held with respect, and there’s accountability on the other side of the promise.
Making Promises to Yourself About Your Health is No Different
Choose one thing you seek to improve, just one. Then take your time figuring out what it would take to accomplish it. Now, make a promise to yourself that you will do this thing every day, every week, or however often you need to in order to accomplish your goal.
Healthy habits are a practice and practicing means consistently showing up each day to do the thing that’s promoting your health until it becomes a part of your life, automatically. Research also tells us that future thinking and self-affirmation live in the same part of the brain. So the link between goals and keeping promises to yourself is actually closer than you think, pun intended.
The Catch? Your Menstrual Cycle
One major reason women with menstrual cycles tend to feel more friction in maintaining changes they set out to make is the fluctuation of hormones across their cycle and how this affects everything from food changes, to working out consistently, and beating procrastination.
If you want help figuring out how to set a goal, and what it will take to get there while keeping your menstrual cycle in mind for real success, book a FREE health coaching session now, we’d love to help.
CITATIONS
Cascio CN, O'Donnell MB, Tinney FJ, Lieberman MD, Taylor SE, Strecher VJ, Falk EB.
Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2016 Apr;11(4):621-9. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsv136. Epub 2015 Nov 5. PMID: 26541373; PMCID: PMC4814782.
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