I love the possibilities of a new year, the possibility of a fresh start.
It's energizing and it's well filled with possibility, but I'm not so much for the new year, new you click bait-y messaging, the subliminal messaging that suggests we're not good enough and tries to motivate us into action from a place of fear and lack. I have an antidote to that. So today we're gonna talk about how we can capture the spirit of the new year with momentum, accountability, kindness, without the click bait-y nonsense.
Welcome back to Health Byte. I'm your host, Dr. Adrienne Youdim. I'm a triple board certified internist, obesity medicine, and physician nutrition specialist. And I help people like you redefine nutrition to include not only the food that we eat, but all the ways in which we can nourish ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally.
And this year, we're talking about the possibilities of a new year and how we can capture this spirit with momentum, accountability, and kindness. Before I go on, I just want to say, if you are not yet on my newsletter, head over to https://dradrienneyoudim.com/newsletter/.
I will leave the link in the show notes. I have some super exciting news that I'm going to share with you on the podcast and the newsletter next week. And if you get onto the newsletter, you'll also get PDF that I've created just for you on how to redefine nutrition in the new year. So back to our content. Number one tip for the new year is start loving yourself now. The New Year New You messaging depends on our insecurities. It does and actually heightens them as clickbait. Don't fall into the trap.
You can set goals without self-deprecating. You can want to do better for yourself while still loving yourself in this moment just as you are.
And you know what? Doing so is essential to achieving your goals successfully. Now, as I say this, I understand it's often easier said than done. Have I told you before that the average human has 60,000 thoughts per day and 80% of them are negative? Don't ask me how the researchers figured this one out, but it's a statistic out there. And even if it's not totally true, it does speak to the fact that negative thoughts are a common issue, common for all of us. So know that. Don't feel ashamed about it. Just try and develop a different relationship with these thoughts. Try saying something like this.
The next time a thought like that, a negative thought comes into your head, try saying, ah, there I go again, thinking that usual thought, but you know what? Not today, friend. I'm not engaging with you today.
It's just one way to create a little bit of space, a little bit of a buffer between you and the thought, just acknowledging that even though you're thinking it does not necessarily mean that it's true. And I promise you, you start to do this enough and it will start to stick. So I want you to really lean into this new year with the intention of loving yourself now.
Tip number two, Dig in to your why. Now I know this is something that's kind of cliched, it's said so often, but it really is important.
What is it that you truly want for yourself? Ask yourself, what is it? What are your values? What are the things that you believe in, that you believe to be important at your core? And now, Align your goals and your actions with that why. For example, perhaps you have the goal and dream of becoming a successful independent entrepreneur in the space of nonprofit. Your goal is to be successful, to be independently wealthy perhaps. Your values are based in philanthropy. And this goal is top of mind for you this year. Now, as much as all of your doings are related to this goal, imagine your habits.
Perhaps you're drinking regularly and or excessively, and you're thinking about stopping for the new year. Instead of thinking, oh, I'm drinking excessively and regularly, you can marry that with your goal, with your ultimate why. Aligning your reduction of alcohol to this bigger goal, knowing that, for example, drinking impacts your sleep, impacts your productivity, maybe you drink too much and you may get hungover, whatever the case may be, you know that reducing alcohol will help you be more vibrant, focused, and productive in this goal.
So align that reduction of alcohol to this bigger goal. This is a way of building inherent and sustainable internal motivation. That's the motivation that comes from deep within. And the science shows that it's much more successful than external forms of motivation. And here's the thing, all of those habits that we talk about, eating well, moving your body, reducing alcohol, getting more sleep, they're good for your health, physically, mentally, emotionally, they're good for your productivity, they are good for your relationships.
So whatever this habit is, the goal is of the new year, you can link that to a greater value for your big why.
So tip number two is think about your goals in terms of your values. Tip number three, small steps make for big change. I cannot stress this one enough. And I know you might not love it because we all love big, bold. We like to see big magic, fireworks, and smashing success overnight. I get it. But we're not children. We know better. And here's the truth. It never happens in one big swoop.
Your job right now is to create routine, to create consistency, to make your habits so bulletproof that you can't negotiate them away two weeks from now or two months from now. So pick one small thing, something doable that you cannot, will not negotiate away and work consistently on doing that thing over and over and over again. For example, commit to moving your body 15 minutes a day, eating a nutritious breakfast every morning, making half your plate green for lunch or dinner, committing to seven hours of sleep per night, engaging in a breathing break for two minutes, two or three times a day. Something small, something doable. And when you master that, then you can go on or move on to something bigger.
But any one of these small changes, when done consistently, independently and by themselves, will have dramatic effects on your mind and body.
So if you don't have one of your own, pick one of the ones I've mentioned. Okay, tip number three? Tip number four, create an environment of success. and don't leave anything to chance. I know you've heard me say this before, but are you adopting a let's wait and see attitude? If so, you should add, let's wait and see me fail. And hey, you know I don't like to use the word failure and I never use it when there is an attempt. But honestly, if we leave things to chance, if we leave our goals to chance, then we are nearly guaranteeing failure.
Do not leave it to chance because you are guaranteeing the status quo. You want to initiate an exercise routine, then you must create the environment. That means getting enough sleep the night before, carving out the time in your day, anticipating the barriers like self-limiting beliefs or understanding how to manage lack of motivation. Because trust me, motivation is not something like fairy dust that you can just sprinkle upon your head.
Consider other potential barriers to change by considering and managing and expecting certain boundaries or barriers or limitations. You allow yourself to troubleshoot, to circumvent those barriers and to create a physical and emotional environment that supports fulfilling your goal. You allow yourself to realize your goal as a fundamental priority.
So, create that environment for success. Number five, take time to celebrate your wins. This is a huge one. And here's the thing, all living creatures require positive motivation or actually do better with positive reinforcement. Think about your dog. What do you do when she doesn't eat your shoe? You say, aw, that's a good doggie. You offer positive reinforcement, right? Think about your kids. Think about even plants. It turns out to respond to positive reinforcement. So guess what? I hate to say it, but our brains function just like Dido the dog.
So make an intention, make a habit of giving yourself positive reinforcement.
Now, the thing is that in this case, unlike the dog or your child, not only are you in charge of delivering that positivity, you're in charge of being the recipient of that positivity, and you're also making sure, you're also in charge of making sure that you receive that win, that celebration of the win wholeheartedly. And that's a lot to do. So here are some micro tips. Again, create realistic goals that are doable. If you have one big goal, break it up into little more manageable ones.
Doing this not only manages your expectations, but ensures your success. Little goals are easier to achieve, and so they are more likely to be achieved. And here's the magic. When you achieve these goals, then you're more likely to keep going. Next, take time to pause and to take notice. Then take time to receive that reinforcement. Don't minimize it. Don't diminish their value. Really revel and take joy in your wins because your childlike, doglike, plantlike brain is going to appreciate you and will respond by keeping you in the game.
So that's a wrap. I don't want to inundate you with too many things, but I really believe that these five steps are truly not only a great start, but essential to helping you realize your new year goals with kindness, compassion, and accountability.
And like I said, I have some really, really exciting news that I'll be sharing next week. So if you're not on my newsletter, you should run over and grab it on my website, https://dradrienneyoudim.com/newsletter/. I'll drop the link in the show notes.
I will also be making the big reveal on next week's podcast. So please make sure you come back and see me here next week. In the meantime, have a fabulous first week of 2024. Sending you lots of love out there. All right, see you then.