In my experience, New Years’ goal setting isn’t for a complete 360 on your life. It is an opportunity to reflect on the past year’s behavior and make positive behavior changes in the coming year. This year, I am focusing on making small behavior changes towards a big goal in a particular area of my life. According to Psychology Today, this approach will make the resolutions more realistic and easier to sprinkle throughout the year. Here are a few tips to keep your new year’s resolutions.

Dream Big- Big audacious goals are motivating. Don’t shy away from big goals. The key is to focus on one or two big goals in a year and particular areas of your life. For example, set a big goal for your health like training for a marathon or triathlon and a big goal for your financial future to have a certain amount of savings by year-end. Both these goals are specific and aim at two significant areas in your life. Ambitious goals are not only good for you, but they will inspire others around you. You might end up building a big support group of people who want to see you win.

Think Small- Now think small. The big dream will have to be broken down into small steps. Small steps will keep the big dream manageable without overwhelming you. Start with foolproof measures like for marathon running it could be just walking 10 minutes every day, buying a pair of running shoes, and creating a playlist for running. I love making lists of steps to do. Lists of steps, starting with the most doable ones, will give you the confidence to continue. 

Commit Yourself – Accountability is the single most crucial incentive for action. I like to keep myself accountable by entering a contract with myself and sticking the signed contract on my vanity’s mirror. You can get a family member involved to hold you responsible for your goal. There are many ways to create a commitment device. Stickk is one such platform. You can create your goal, assign it a timeline and a penalty. Another way is to pledge your resolution on social media and share your journey throughout the year.

One Step at a Time- Trying to conquer all the steps on your checklist simultaneously is going to be daunting. Soon you will lose motivation and fall back on old habitual patterns. An easy way to get to the big dream is to focus on one small step at a time. A small habit change will lead to a bigger change over time. 

Celebrate Small Wins- Don’t wait to celebrate till you’ve crossed the finish line. Behavior changes are progressive.  Encourage yourself to keep at it by observing a win each time you complete a step. Every small step in this long journey counts. For example, schedule some ME time or get a manicure for logging in 5 miles the first time.

Team Effort Counts- Share your goals with friends and family members. Ask them for support and make them part of your team. Often, we fail because our environment, which our family and friends dictate, isn’t conducive to keeping our resolutions. When you ask your circle of people for help, you make them part of the goal. Tell them precisely what help looks like to achieve your goal. If you can’t get help from your immediate circle, consider seeking professional help. Psychologists understand the connection between the mind and body and can recommend helpful strategies to achieve your goals. 

Offer Thanks- Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. Any amount of progress is better than none. Sometimes you might even go backward. It’s okay! Please don’t beat yourself up for it. If your goal is a 40-minute workout, but you only squeezed in 10-minutes, be grateful for the 10 minutes. You showed up, and that counts. Practicing gratitude will acknowledge that you are giving it your best. In the long run, that’s what matters.

Dream big, think small, take one step at a time, and practicing gratitude will help you keep your new year’s resolutions way past the first few weeks of January.

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I like to include the accomplishments, wins, and losses that served as a learning experience. All the events have an impact on us. 

• First, I like to be grateful for where I am. 
• Second, I look back on the past year’s events in wonder and awe. It’s hard to believe how far I have come this year with my running and business goals. 
• Third, I look to see how I can improve my future by taking unnecessary things from my schedule and improving my current activities. 

Why Reflect on Last Year?

Last year is gone. Right! It is past now. You cannot bring this time back and can’t use an eraser to undo the mistakes.

At the most basic definition, reflection is a careful thought. But the valuable kind of reflection involves the deliberate analysis of one’s beliefs and actions for learning. Reflection allows us to slow down, pause and sort through past experiences.

Reflecting on last year, you can learn important lessons and recognize behavior patterns. Listing previous year’s events allow us to identify the patterns in our reactions and will help us to enhance performance in the new year. Reflections serve as self-feedback for the last year. I recommend reflecting on the past year because it acts as a tool to improve your performance in the new year radically.

There is a paradox in life for faster improvement. To have a more significant impact in the future, we need to slow down and reflect on the past.

Reflect and Plan

Select your own reflection process. I like to write in a journal. If you don’t like journaling, that’s okay. Consider talking to a close friend, and going over the last year is a great way to reflect. You can use your friend’s feedback as well.

To help you reflect on your year, I have put together some questions and resources that can help you.

I like to put my last year’s events into three categories:

Successful – had a tremendous impact

Redundant –can be left behind

Developing – needs improvement

Questions to Ask

Here are some of my favorite questions for reflecting on last year:

• What accomplishments are you proud of this year?
• What significant life events or transitions did you go through this year?
• How did you take care of yourself this year? Mentally, physically, financially, and emotionally.
• What disappointed you this past year?
• What have you overcome this year?
• What are you most grateful for in the last year? 
• What mistakes are you still holding onto from the past year?
• What challenges do you still need to conquer?
• If you could change one thing in the last year, what would it be?
• What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of the past year?

So, grab a warm cup of tea and a paper to look at last year’s reflections, so that next year’s image projection is bright.

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It’s a gentle yoga flow for all fitness levels to give you energy and help you focus throughout your day.  You will gain strength and flexibility in your muscles while having a strong mind-body connection.  Each class will combine a balanced series of poses with a focus on opening up one of several potential areas of tightness, such as your hamstrings, hips, shoulders, or neck.  A selection of restorative poses will support your body with props, so the muscles, fascia and nervous system can take a break from the daily grind.  

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*Yoga Mat and two blocks required for this class *

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All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*Yoga Mat and two blocks required for this class *

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Great for guys too! Please bring a yoga mat and towel.

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*Yoga Mat, resistance band, and two medium/heavy dumbbells are suggested$ for this class *

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Great for guys too! Please bring a yoga mat and towel.

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*Yoga Mat, resistance band, and two medium/heavy dumbbells are suggested$ for this class *

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This 60-minute class will open with a short meditation, move through seated warm-ups, and progress to standing poses using the back of the chair for balance.   Debbie will offer variations and options throughout the practice so that you can tailor your experience to meet the needs of your mind, body, and soul. Feel both soothed and energized with this accessible yoga practice.

Set up your device and have a seat!  

Debbie’s teaching is passionate, respectful of individual bodies, attentive to alignment, and characterized by thematic flows. Delivered with compassion and humor, her teaching is designed to leave the practitioner feeling inspired and empowered. Debbie completed her yoga teacher training in March 2019. Debbie has been practicing yoga since 1994. She is constantly inspired by the power of yoga to strengthen, heal, and reawaken the awareness of the miraculous sweetness of life. She likes to share this power of Yoga with her students through her teaching.

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*An upright chair like a kitchen chair or a stable folding chair is recommended for this class*

The post FREE Chair Yoga – Virtual Class 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.

This 60-minute class will open with a short meditation, move through seated warm-ups, and progress to standing poses using the back of the chair for balance.   Debbie will offer variations and options throughout the practice so that you can tailor your experience to meet the needs of your mind, body, and soul. Feel both soothed and energized with this accessible yoga practice.

Set up your device and have a seat!  

Debbie’s teaching is passionate, respectful of individual bodies, attentive to alignment, and characterized by thematic flows. Delivered with compassion and humor, her teaching is designed to leave the practitioner feeling inspired and empowered. Debbie completed her yoga teacher training in March 2019. Debbie has been practicing yoga since 1994. She is constantly inspired by the power of yoga to strengthen, heal, and reawaken the awareness of the miraculous sweetness of life. She likes to share this power of Yoga with her students through her teaching.

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*An upright chair like a kitchen chair or a stable folding chair is recommended for this class*

The post FREE Chair Yoga – Virtual Class 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*Yoga Mat, resistance band, and two medium/heavy dumbbells required for this class *

The post FREE Buns & Guns – Virtual Class 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.

All Virtual classes are recorded and recording is provided to registered participants for 48-hrs after class.

*Yoga Mat, resistance band, and two medium/heavy dumbbells required for this class *

The post FREE Buns & Guns – Virtual Class 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.