The New Year. An excellent time for reflection and planning for the following year. We set new year’s resolutions for almost anything. Finances, family, career, spiritual. But the most popular new years resolution in America seems to be in our health. And most of the time coming off of the holidays it is to lose weight and keep it off. Often times these resolutions are rooted in guilt because we let ourselves “fall off the wagon” during the holidays. We feel like we went extreme during the holidays so we must make some drastic changes during the new year to counteract this. I used to do the very same thing. We do good for the first month or so. But eventually, our willpower and guilt fade, and we slowly but surely go back to our old way of living. We all seem to know this but many of us still seem to fall into this trap that leaves us less and less confident we will ever make a lasting change.
I am not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. It’s not that we can have goals and set new habits for the new year so we can see all that God has in the new year come to pass. It’s that oftentimes we set these goals when we are coming off a season where we feel like the only way to get back to where we were is by making an extreme change. If you want sustainable progress that will actually last in the new year, here are two simple things you can do to all but ensure lasting progress.
- Pray. I know this sounds overly simple. But when it comes to health people often think that God isn’t there to lead and guide them. Pray and ask God to give you His vision for this next year in your health. Ask Him to renew your mind so you think rightly. True transformation comes through the renewing of the mind. Once you have that word from God, share it with someone who you trust and have them keep you accountable to those results. These goals must be practical and super simple so you can sustain them.
- Bring your kids along for the journey. This sounds a bit crazy but making this a family journey can be a way for you to grow together and instill healthy habits into the next generation. Many parents don’t feel like they have the moral authority to teach their kids good habits in health because they don’t feel like they have their health under control. But leading your kids causes you to take a greater level of ownership. We have tons of free resources and devotional guides to help back you up in this. But for now, here are a few things to focus on to get you started.
Help your kids build simple habits in 4 main areas. Movement, create a simple routine for you
and your kids to move at least 4 times per week. Nutrition, help your kids develop a love for
whole, natural, and nutrient-dense foods. Rest and recovery, help your kids get enough sleep
and have a routine for stretching and recovering their bodies. Maintenance, build your lifestyle
and schedule where it is easy for the whole family to have these healthy practices. I will also
add that you want them to have a biblical approach to their health as well. To ensure lasting results you and your family must think rightly about how God made your body to help you serve others and live out everything He has called you to. Together you can encourage each other to steward the body God has given us to better serve others.
Ashton Tate is the founder of Glory to Glory Fitness in Franklin TN, and the creator of The F.O.R.M. Curriculum, a turn-key and biblically based health curriculum for schools and families.
