Why Your New Year’s Resolution Can Wait

The term “almond moms” has been circulating the internet for the last couple of years, and it really does a good job of illustrating many people’s broken relationships with food. An almond mom is a woman who shuns dessert, speaks about eating carbs as “being bad,” and claims to be full after a handful of almonds.

Though the term is often used by women who feel unjustly influenced by their own mother’s disordered eating habits, I think it transcends gender and age. Many of us feel the need to restrict, particularly around special events that involve indulgent meals and a few extra sweets.

However, weight loss and nutrition experts agree that this type of thinking often leads to disordered habits or periods of bingeing following strict periods of restriction. These cycles can poorly impact our health in many ways and actually lead to weight gain. This is particularly nefarious with our New Year’s goal-setting quickly approaching.

You may have been working all year to reach your goals, to care for yourself and your family, and to keep up with your loved ones through it all. Or maybe you have fallen short of the goals you set for yourself and are feeling guilty. Whatever you are feeling now, you are definitely not alone.

In the book, Wintering by Katherine May, she speaks at length about the value of rest and retreat through the coldest, harshest months of the year. Why we collectively decide to set lofty goals and resolutions during the thick of this season is anyone’s guess.

Instead of stressing over what you haven’t accomplished yet or what lays ahead in the new year, I encourage you to take the holiday season to really lean into this idea of rest and retreat. What better time to practice self care and soak up what precious free time we have to spend with our loved ones?

You don’t have to abandon your goals altogether! Instead, try taking slow walks with your family or a friend, bundled up against the cold of course. If arctic level winters are keeping you indoors, opt for 30 minutes of easy movement with yoga or stretching. If you are itching to move a little more, I love doing dance cardio workouts on YouTube. Even the kids can get involved!

Other than incorporating gentle movement into your routine, let yourself indulge a little bit! Try not to feel guilty about an extra cookie or glass of wine with dinner. And for your own sake, eat the carbs! We can talk more about setting New Year’s goals and actually achieving them when the wrapping paper is all cleaned up and the lights are taken down from the tree.

However you choose to spend this slow week, give yourself total permission to enjoy it. No beating yourself up over a missed workout or an extra cookie.

Check the blog next week for some tips on diving deep into your New Year’s goals!