The Ultimate New Year’s Resolution for better Health

The Short Answer: Keep a daily journal

the long answer:

When I used to work in gyms, there was a particular New Year trend that I noticed.

On Black Fridays, a flock of people register for new memberships because of the discounted prices. Yet, only the regulars attend after this date.

Then, come January 2nd, suddenly new faces spawn from nowhere. All the cardio machines are taken, the weights area is crammed, and classes are spilling with people wearing shiny new clothes.

This goes on for a couple of weeks, a month tops, then it’s back to the regulars - plus maybe a couple new faces that eventually become regulars.

The New Year resolution is a trend that perseveres. New year is a time of rebirth, of changes and improvements. But as I always say, the motivation you have today lasts only for today.

Unless you’re going to commit to the effort of developing a habit, you’re going to stray.

And the greatest factor in developing a habit is knowing yourself.

What’s the use of making a New Years resolution of doing a 5km run every morning at 5am if you are not a morning person? Taking care of your health and fitness is something that requires effort, yes, but it shouldn’t be too much of a sacrifice.

To manage this, you must construct a system that works around your routine and energy.

How do we go about developing such a system? The answer is threefold:

1. Trial and Error

2. Reflection

3. Improvement, and the way to do this is by journaling.

Here is what I am proposing to you for your New Year's resolution: get yourself a journal and a pen, and make it a habit of journaling being your first task of the day. And by first task I mean before even considering looking at your mobile phone emails, messages, videos, or any other distraction.

Brew yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee, sit somewhere in peace and quiet, and write. Is your first hour of the day usually hectic? Wake up half an hour earlier.

Trust me on this, better to get a bit less sleep and have a focused day, than sleep more and spend the entire day running after lost time.

Ok, the ground rules are set, you woke up before everyone else, you have half an hour to yourself. You sit at your table or desk with a pen in hand and an empty page before you. Your sole companion at this hour is a hot cup of tea.

What next?

First, start by reflecting on what you did yesterday, what was good, and what needs to be changed or improved. (I prefer doing this in paragraphs because it helps me expand on my thoughts, but bullet points, pictures, and any such options would work, as long as your thoughts are being represented on paper).

Let’s take an example: for the past week you worked out immediately after work, and you realized that you’re not having enough energy to complete your sets. Maybe you need to eat some carbs an hour or two before, or maybe you need to change the time altogether. Write all the thoughts and ideas that come to mind.

Second, write down what you will be doing today. Include corrections and improvements over yesterday. Keep what works, discard what doesn’t. Keeping with the above example, you notice that for the past week the last time you ate something before your training was 5 hours before.

So today you are going to include a small meal closer to the workout time, and see if this improves the quality of your energy or not. Tomorrow morning you are going to write on whether this has worked better for you or not. If it did, good, keep it. If not, scrap it and try training at a different time.

Third, reread and summarize everything. (I like to underline the key points as I reread, and then summarize in point form). You can create a task list for the day as you do this.

Lastly, start your day.

Becoming healthier is not just a matter of exercise and diet, it is a mentality. Hence, sharpening your mind is the ultimate task you can do to maintain your healthy habits.

I wish you all a heartwarming Christmas and an eventful New Year 2022.