Eat + Enjoy + Restore
Diets, no matter how popular they are, are rarely sustainable or healthy. They frequently come with a long list of rules and can encourage disordered eating habits and can lead to eating disorders. If you’ve had this experience, there’s some good news: there’s a shift […]
New year, new you? The new year often feels like a fresh start and an amazing opportunity to break bad habits and establish new routines, but did you know that more than half of all resolutions fail? Stop the cycle this year by learning how […]
A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. They are the outcomes you intend to achieve. SMART is an acronym that you can use to guide your goal setting. To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:
Example: To help add more physical activity to my daily routine, I will walk on my treadmill for 20 minutes for at least three days per week starting tomorrow.
Intentions are not specific. They’re what you intend to accomplish through actions. When you set an intention, it is less of an action or a task and more of a phrase or idea that you can return to throughout the day or year. It will ground and guide you during times of unmotivation. In other words, setting your intentions means stating clearly what you want to experience and achieve through your actions. This can be about your work, personal life, dreams, thoughts, mindfulness practice, or anything else you want.
Some examples include: “I will be more present with my kids today, I want to have a healthy body, I will have a more positive outlook, I will drink enough water, I will have a healthy relationship with food.”
Goals are focused on external achievement (ex; losing 20 pounds), while intentions are focused more internally and emotionally (ex; I want to lose weight so I am able to play with my children without getting out of breath, I want to be a better mom!). A goal is what you want to DO, and an intention is who you want to BE. You can feel “empty” after achieving a big goal… that’s why intentions are so important! Reflect on your initial intention to see how it relates to the goal you set or just accomplished. Use goals and intentions TOGETHER for best results!
If you’re like most of us, you’re full of starry-eyed hope and determination to accomplish a raft of new year resolutions, but keep in mind that you’re more likely to accomplish your goal if you focus your energy on just one. Establishing new behavioral patterns takes time and sustained effort so don’t spread yourself too thin this year.
Goal-setting and resolutions are typically more of a marathon than a sprint. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and give up when your resolution is something big, such as losing 50 pounds, finding your dream job, or traveling around the world. Break down your goal into smaller steps to make it easier to stick to! For example: If your goal is to run a marathon, start out by going for a jog two or three times a week. Slowly, work up to longer runs and exercising more days per week. Keep a journal on hand so that you’re able to track your progress. Give yourself credit for every small step you take and reward yourself along the way.
Rather than focusing on a single, superficial measure of success like wanting to lose five pounds or wanting to look a certain way, consider selecting a resolution that affects how you will feel, instead of your outward appearance. Rather than trying to cut out all sugar from your diet, perhaps you instead commit to drinking more water, or incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet, or exercise more.
Sometimes, the difference between success and failure comes down to choosing the right goals and the right intentions. Most importantly, remember to be kind and flexible with yourself and to celebrate any and all progress along the way!
We hope that this blog post helped you learn about the difference between goals and intentions. With the new year coming soon, it’s important to get clear on both your goals and intentions for 2023!
Practicing gratitude and positive thinking on a daily basis throughout the year can change your brain and your life! Did you know that the same region of the brain that regulates emotions and behaviors also regulates higher-order cognitive abilities like focus and attention? The ability […]
The holiday season is upon us! And odds are, you’re going to find yourself hitting the road at some point to visit family or friends. Traveling doesn’t have to disrupt your healthy eating routine. In fact, traveling can be a PERFECT time to implement mindful […]
These last couple of weeks, we have been covering mindful eating, restoring your relationship with food, not judging your food choices, and how to handle negative (and sometimes positive) comments from others around food and your body. I know these mindfulness techniques are skills you can transfer from the food you eat to other areas of your life and health. These mindfulness skills can help you become more aware of your thoughts, and your day-to-day stress will help you not only become aware of how that impacts your health.
Did you know that stress can impact how your hormones and digestion are regulated? Even if the stress is a “good thing” or a much-needed distraction, your body sends a stress signal to your sympathetic nervous system. This signal triggers a response that can change how we process and digest food (among many other body functions.) Over time, this “stress” can cause symptoms and health problems that affect our bodies and quality of life.
Do you ever watch the news (yikes!), scroll social media, listen to a podcast, or read while you eat? (I’m guilty of most of these at one time or another). Your body perceives those distractions as stress. Even when we are distracted, our body, specifically our cells, knows what is happening. A key concept of mindfulness is that our cells are “spying” on us, even when we think we are hiding our stress/anxiety with distractions. From the outside, we may look A-OK. Still, our cells send signals and influence the sympatric and parasympathetic nervous systems.
The stress we feel during the holidays can be intense for the following reasons:
With all this said, I advise you to breathe, be present at the moment, and take in the blessings of this holiday season. This mindfulness will allow you to choose the conversations, food, and activities that can bless your body and soul. If you want more assistance, join my Mindful Eating Program by clicking here.
References:
Cherpak CE. Mindful Eating: A Review Of How The Stress-Digestion-Mindfulness Triad May Modulate And Improve Gastrointestinal And Digestive Function. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2019 Aug;18(4):48-53. PMID: 32549835; PMCID: PMC7219460.
Harvard Health Publishing. Understanding the Stress Response. 2020 July. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
