Happy New Year! It’s that time of year again when many people start the new year off with resolutions – and in approximately two week’s time, most of those people will also break those resolutions…but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Here are some Physical Intelligence tips to help us keep those resolutions and start the new year off strong.
Visualize your goal
Clear focus is the first step to achieving our goals. If we imagine clearly what we want to achieve, picture it, and experience the feelings of pleasure and reward associated with that achievement for ourself and others, we are more likely to achieve it. If we don’t visualise our goal, it may not feel as ‘real’ and, as a consequence, we may be more easily distracted. (That is dopamine, the great motivator, at work. It increases determination because we are drawn to that future reward. Dopamine makes us want to move towards a situation because we anticipate the reward.) Visualization not only helps ensure success, it helps create pace – and takes our mind off the discomfort, difficulty or pain associated with working toward the goal.
Habit Stack
When we want to create new habits, it is easier to attach or ‘stack’ a new habit alongside an existing one, something you always do that is already embedded into your long-term memory and therefore reliably part of your schedule (e.g., brushing your teeth, putting on a pot of coffee, making a cup of tea, sitting down at your desk). This is called ‘habit stacking’. If your resolution is related to something you want to start doing, use habit stacking to “bake” it into your day to day behavior. If your resolution is something you want to stop doing, consider points in your day when you usually indulge in the behavior you want to change and replace that behavior with something new (e.g., replacing that late evening glass of wine with an herbal tea or that slice of cake with a square of high quality dark chocolate) – again, using ‘habit stacking.’
Set Achievable Goals
Confidence is built through past achievements because success creates new opportunities. When we succeed, testosterone, dopamine and adrenalin levels rise, creating a surge of elation that makes us want to repeat that experience and win again, so we double our efforts for next time. To help ensure that we will experience success, set reasonable, achievable goals. For example, if you want to start working out more, instead of setting a goal to work out every day, set a goal to work out two or three days – or if you want to add push ups to your routine, set a goal to do ten instead of 50. Your success will increase the likelihood that you will keep going.
Celebrate your Successes
We often forget to let success soak in, instead focusing on the negative. If we allow ourselves the pleasure of acknowledging our success, elevated testosterone levels mean that we are more likely to succeed again – the chemistry of the ‘winning streak’. When things do go well, find a moment in private or public to put your arms in the air and metaphorically, or literally, do a ‘lap of honor’(even if you simply run around the room). Let testosterone and dopamine boost your confidence for next time.
Fight negative thoughts
Feeling overwhelmed or experiencing setbacks can erode determination. The body slams on its brakes and makes us produce too much of the calming chemical, acetylcholine – we feel resistance to carrying on. When this happens, treat the adrenals kindly – refocus on the next milestone or set a new more realistic milestone – one that is more manageable. Set yourself up for success. With a clear, workable milestone in mind, literally jumping up and down (to boost your optimism), vocalizing your goal, breathing hard and fast, using paced breathing, and laughing (literally) in the face of fear all help kick-start your energy levels again. (DHEA is THE high-performance chemical, supporting vitality, longevity, stamina, and cognitive function. Vital for endurance and achieving long-term goals, synthetic DHEA is a banned substance for Olympics athletes, but we can make it ourselves every day through paced breathing, giving us lasting energy reserves that power us steadily forwards.)
Let us know how you physical intelligence helps you with your resolutions – and if you haven’t set any for this year, that’s okay, too! Above all, be kind to yourself.
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