This year, I set a broad goal for myself instead of resolutions: To be healthier.
I did this mostly because it wasn’t a defined goal to the point that I could fail at it. Even if I only did one thing once, I would, in fact, be healthier than if I didn’t do that one thing, therefore achieving the goal. As moms we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be everything to everyone, usually at the sacrifice of ourselves. I am no different, and I knew if I didn’t make my goal achievable, I would try it, not have the time to complete it, and then hit the shame and depression spiral over it. On the other hand, making small steps towards my large undefined goal brings me accomplishment and confidence to make another one.
The goal should not be to do it perfectly, it should be to do it at all. Last year, I set a goal to walk nine miles a week. I think I may have accomplished it once and then just stopped walking most weeks if I couldn’t fit in 9 miles throughout the week. This year I just told myself I would walk more. If I have a few minutes or more, I walk. Sometimes I get a quarter mile in sometimes I get three and a quarter, but with that in mind, I have done at least six miles per week, which is way better than nothing.
I have tried giving up sugar before to no avail. This year, I have swapped my usual sweet treats for healthier options while still having normal sweet treats as well (the office candy jar is a tough foe to beat). A couple of my favorite swaps have been Shameless Snacks gummy candy and Greek yogurt with flax, honey, frozen blueberries, and peanut butter granola. My favorite healthy sweet breakfast is Harley Pasternak’s Healthy French Toast. Take Cinnamon Raisin Dave’s Killer Bread and cover the bottom of the pan with it (usually four pieces, then I fill in the big gaps by tearing up a fifth piece), then pour around half a small carton of egg whites over the top of it so that it covers the bottom of the pan. Once the eggs look set, flip it out onto a plate and then slide it back into the pan to cook the other side. While that is going, put some frozen strawberries and blueberries in a pot with the juice from half a lemon and a bit of monkfruit sugar to taste, and then stir. Flip the French toast out onto a plate and top with the fruit mixture. It’s so good, feels fancy and decadent but still healthy, and is great heated up the next day as well.
I have also made other healthy food trades like swapping Egg Life wraps for tortillas in wraps and quesadillas, and trying to add more veggies into things, adding more varieties of protein into meals, making a batch of Chloe Charlotte’s Kitchen’s Miracle Broth each week and go between drinking a cup of that or bone broth each day, and making a habit to try at least two new healthy recipes per week and bring my lunch to work at least two of the three days I am in the office.
Although these things are still mixed in with normal unhealthy stuff, it still gets me a lot closer to an 80/20 lifestyle than I was before, and each time I enjoy a new recipe, I get a win for the day.
Lastly, I’ve made a goal to say yes to myself more for the things I need, while also saying yes to more things my son wants to do as opposed to saying I have too much to do right now. Sometimes he gets the yes for the day and sometimes I do, but it makes both our lives better either way, the cleaning can wait.
