Movement Matters: New Year, New Choices

Every year, we embark on the age-old tradition of setting ourselves New Year’s resolutions to finally do X, Y, or Z that we have been procrastinating on for as long as we can remember or have failed to do the years before.

Firstly, this “new year, new me” needs to go. The old you are, in fact, awesome, and the old you have a wealth of knowledge about who it is to be authentically you. No one else can be you, and that, my friends, is entirely necessary to remind yourself when any negative self-talk begins surrounding the future choices you decide to make. I do, however, support personal growth and think it is SO important to jump at every opportunity to try new things, learn about yourself and expand who you want to be, reaching those goals in realistic timeframes and at a pace you can legitimately maintain.

I’m going to help you understand the steps you can take when making better choices and why you need to break it down and be more realistic to be successful. How often have we said, “For the new year, I’m ditching the darts and starting to run and drop 5-10kg?”…? loads. Another favourite of mine is “I’m going to eat healthier” or simply “exercise more”.

What’s wrong with these resolutions?

Vague and too general!

The most important way to succeed at personal growth is to be realistic, understand, and be honest with yourself. Sit down and make a realistic plan that matches your strengths, supports your weaknesses, and incorporates reminders of why you embarked on that journey to begin with.

Let’s sit down, make that cuppa if you need to, and make ourselves comfortable. If your brain works well with visuals and bright colours, then grab all the colourful pens and perhaps write your plan out as a mind map and colour code it. If you work best with lists and little boxes you can tick off as you go, then do it! Do whatever works best for you.

Do you want to exercise more? Okay, that’s a solid start, but Why? This is the most important part. Write your list of reasons why, and then keep asking why until you are at the root of this choice. This usually takes about 5 times to get to the bottom of it, and I promise you that there is no correct answer. This process is about getting to know yourself so that you have a better chance at success in achieving the results you want when making new and improved choices.

The why can then inform you of the type of exercise you should be doing. If you want to be stronger, perhaps weightlifting is for you. If peace of mind, self-awareness, breathwork and flexibility are important, perhaps Yoga and Pilates are calling you. Want to lose weight? Cardio and raising your heart rate more frequently would be essential. Maybe you want to meet more like-minded people and get fit simultaneously, so team sports are the key. Once you know your why, you can figure out where to begin, and then it’s important to break it down into your short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. Saying you want to get fit in 2025 is so ridiculously vague; I know my subconscious mind would find loopholes for reasons I’ve sort of achieved it, but we all know I probably most definitely have not.

Break down the goals.

In the short term, you want to pick up one yoga class a week and do a few personal training sessions to learn more about weight lifting the correct way. Of course, this is a hypothetical example, and I offer it so you can see how to break it down.

The mid-term goal is to hit the weights twice a week and pick up yoga, perhaps two classes a week, and because your brain could need more variety, those classes may be two different types of yoga. By this time, you could have met new people, developed new social circles, and started to see the benefits of feeling good in your mind and body. Your life as a whole is improving because it attracts like. When we make new choices that benefit us, the dominos start falling, and what follows is more positive vibes!

For long-term goals, try to think realistically about what you can maintain. This doesn’t mean running 10k’s daily if you are burning yourself out. Balance is key in creating healthy habits that your mind, body and soul will sustain long term. Your long-term goals might also change over time as you grow and evolve as a person. Be kind and gentle with yourself, but hold yourself accountable too, and if you can’t do it, then perhaps a coach would be a good option for you. Set yourself up with the support you need, even if that’s just asking your best friend to help motivate you along the way. When you find yourself slipping, because we all stumble when we learn to walk, go back to your original mind map or list and remind yourself of your why, congratulate yourself on the goals you have achieved and take a moment to reassess where you are as an individual, on your journey to making new choices.

Be authentic, enjoy the process, and you will be successful! Let’s welcome 2025!

Leila Verban, Our Expert

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Leila Verban is a creative writer and a qualified Yoga teacher who is the sole owner of Earth Side Yoga. Situated at the base of the Eungella Range, she continues to evolve her practice and refine her skills to incorporate counselling, meditation, energy healing and positive manifestation.