It’s Not Too Late to Set Your New Year Intentions

New year, new me! Right? Every year we start anew, full of inspiration for the year ahead and focused on our resolution for a healthy dose of discipline and a more consistently active self. So before our well-intentioned resolutions run away from us, here are four simple tips to keep you on track all year around.

1. Be clear about your intentions:

First, you must decide your desired outcome; be specific! “I want to be promoted to partner, I will lose 5% body fat, I will be active every day…” Part of the success in this process is in raising your standards. You get to decide what you stand for and what will simply no longer cut it in your path to a healthier more responsible you. Too often we set loose goals of “I want success in work, and a happy relationship with myself.” Well, what does that look like for you? Is success in work monetary, or is it recognition? Is a happy relationship with yourself represented in pushing yourself to reach your goals, taking a more mindful approach to your health or maybe being more gentle with the daily conversation you have with yourself. These answers change, so continue updating your intentions as needed.

There is time for the sweet little details, if you have already set your sights on the desired result. So before you commit to a summer decked in flowing muumuus, lets make a plan!

2. Pick a mentor:

Find someone who is already successful at what you are trying to achieve. Whether you are in search of #bodygoals or an innovative CEO, do your research. Just because you see a hot body on Instagram doesn’t necessarily mean they have healthy habits, so do your research and make sure this person you reference – ex: what would Jeff Besos do?- is actually someone you want to emulate.

3. Set an exercise schedule:

Missing out on exercise this month will leave you regretting more than that third hot toddy from holiday parties past. The way you feel this time of year is more than an emotional response, but is also physical and mental; exercise has an influence in all three. Look at your schedule for the next two months, decide how many times a week you will workout, and write it into your schedule. When you make time for your physical wellbeing, you’re nurturing your emotional and mental self, i.e. you become more pleasant (and present) to be around.

Commit to 20 minutes every single day to move, uninterrupted by texts, work or social. This can be a 20 minute walk that gets you out of the house, an energizing morning stretch or a yoga practice to help wind you down after a long day. This can be in transit if you ride a bike or run, or a sexy bedroom romp! It doesn’t need to look the same everyday; it just needs to happen daily. Use exercise as a tool to build your energy and de-stress.

4. Meditate:

What do Oprah Winfrey, Arianna Huffington and Kobe Bryant all have in common, aside from being the most famously successful in their chosen careers? They meditate daily. Twenty minutes of meditation can have the restorative equivalence of 2 hours of sleep; this is something we can all afford. If you are just starting off with mediation go easy on yourself. You do not have to sit on your lotus-tufted pillow while burning sage. Let this new adaptation come as something that fits into your daily life and make it a 100% must, wherever, whenever. If you are not feeling quite ready to jump third eye first into your practice, Headspace app is the best resource I have found for introducing meditation to your daily life. Headspace will guide you through a 10 minute meditation giving you points of focus and for the first 10 days and build up to the ideal 20.