The cat’s been out of the bag for a long time. New Year’s resolutions don’t work. Santa doesn’t come down the chimney either, although he is trying to lose weight and exercise more just like the rest of us. While we love holiday traditions and storytelling, and the overall joyful, optimistic outlook of the season, it's time to make changes that stick.
Time to Make Lifelong Health Changes
When it comes to making improvements to your health—that can ultimately save your life—it’s time to set realistic goals that you can actually keep. Don’t stop believing in the power to change. Start making the change. That’s when the real magic of the season begins.
We know that for many people the start of a new year represents a chance to start over, and that’s great. Every year millions of people make resolutions because they sincerely want to live better, longer, happier, more fulfilling lives. Year after year, the most common resolutions are related to health: We vow to exercise more, eat better, lose weight, and take more time to nurture our overall well-being.
We continue to make these resolutions even though we know that the odds of keeping them are stacked against us. Studies show that at least half of New Year’s resolutions are broken within a few months, and that anywhere from 80 to 90 percent ultimately fail.
There are a lot of reasons why we fail. We don’t share our resolutions with people who can help us keep them; they just float around in our heads in a loose way, leaving us unaccountable and alone at night with boxes of leftover holiday cookies. We sign up for gym specials, but once the free trial period is over, we are tired and trying to figure out how to pay for all the gifts we bought. We don’t know how to eat better. We get frustrated when we don’t see results. And the list goes on and on.
Why Resolutions Fail. Why We Keep Trying.
Yet, there is one reason, above all others, that turns our annual good intentions into a frustrating cycle of failure. Most people do not address the root cause of their issues. They may not even know what it is. They continue to try to triumph over the end result (whether it is weight gain, high blood pressure, aches and pain, fatigue, gut troubles or depression) without understanding its cause.
The truth is, we may not understand why we eat the foods we eat or how they affect our bodies. We may not realize why we lack the motivation to get to the gym. And just because we know we are tired doesn’t mean we know why we can’t sleep.
Even if we are able to succeed for a period of time, we eventually fail unless we uncover and learn to manage and treat the underlying causes of our disease and dysfunction. This is what functional medicine is all about.
The good news is, we keep trying. We want to feel better. We care about our health. We care about our loved ones, and we want to be around for them. New Year’s resolutions are so popular because the desire to change is strong. We celebrate that wonderful spirit here at Princeton Integrative Health, and we take it a step further.
Functional medicine offers you the tools you need to be successful and optimize your health by making lasting, lifelong changes.
How to Make Changes That Stick:
- Set realistic, measurable goals.
- Start small. Focus on one behavior at a time.
- Share your struggles with others.
- Get support.
- Keep track of your results.
- Be kind to yourself, especially when you slip up.
- Above all else, be patient. Look at the big picture.
There are so many factors affecting your health. It’s not just too many carbs one day and too few hours of sleep the next. It’s the composite of your life. Your relationships. Your stress levels. Your genetics. The toxins to which you are exposed. The financial obligations you need to meet.
For more information, or to get started, schedule a consultation today. For a limited time, we are offering our initial consultation to new patients at a special rate.
To schedule a consultation, call 609.512.1468.
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