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Living a healthy 2021 by choosing and meeting your goals

Rahul, Psychology, Class of 2021 - Jan 13, 2021

Hey! My name is Rahul, and I’m a 4th-year Psychology major! As I’m writing this post, the break is about to end, and the winter term is about to begin. Not to be too pessimistic, but I can’t say I’m too excited for 2020, Part 2. I sense the feeling might be mutual for some of those who are reading this post. However, if things continue as they were in 2020, it might be time for a change.

Perhaps you weren’t on top of your schoolwork, your job(s), your health, or your friendships in 2020. But at one point, you thought things were going to change for 2021 when you set out your resolutions. If you have struggled with those resolutions already, I bet some of you are thinking that 2022 will be my year for sure…

This mindset creates a barrier to change. We shouldn’t have to wait for 2022 for our lives to magically transform. After all, with the events of 2020, who knows what obstacles we’ll face in the future? If you want things to change, you need to start right now. Here are some tips that I want you to keep in mind as you pursue a better you—in whatever small ways that you can or choose to—in 2021. 

Reflect

What is it that you want to change? Yeah, there might be a lot of things you want to change about yourself. But dig deeper—what is the most essential thing that you want to change for yourself? 

For me, I realized that my physical health was at a low as 2020 drew to a close. I know about the links of physical health and academic success: at the end of the day, you can’t study well if you’re feeling lethargic and unhealthy. I’ve heard that adults should get about 10,000 steps a day. But here I am, glued to my armchair, getting maybe 100 steps a day in. Ouch. I know that the pandemic doesn’t make it easier to do daily activities outside. But I’ve decided not to wait for 2022 to be “my year for sure.” Instead, I thought of ways to improve my physical health at the end of the break. You might be thinking that this is an academic success, not a fitness, blog. But you can use the same approaches to strategic and incremental lifestyle change in your study habits, whether you want to read more, write regularly, or get started on big new projects.

Here’s how I got started.

Start small

It’s unrealistic to immediately get your 10,000 steps. Let’s say you do get 10,000 steps or close to it—your body might experience a physical shock to this new change, which could lead to soreness the next day or two. This effect can be demotivating. Instead, motivate yourself by setting incremental targets (1,000 steps on Monday, 1,500 steps on Tuesday, and so on). Or, if steps aren’t your thing, go by minutes (10 minutes on Monday, 15 minutes on Tuesday, and so on)! We truly feel a lot better and stick with our habits when we set ourselves up for success by starting small and setting measurable and realistic goals.

To start small, I started walking (with my mask—you should too!). In my first walk, I probably walked for about 10 minutes. Then another day, I went for a run for about 10 minutes. On my second walk, I timed myself to walk for 15 minutes. On my second run, I did the same. Starting small gave me confidence. Starting small allowed me to increase my limits. Starting small was realistic.

After 2 weeks in the break, I eventually ran 8,500 steps and found myself at the top of Fort Henry in Kingston! This shows you how you can build up new habits. Pick an academic (or a health) challenge, and commit to making a tiny step towards your goal today. You can always add more tomorrow, next week, or next month.

Expand

I know some of you might be thinking, I’m gonna pass out if I run or but what if I get tired from running or walking? I hear you! I knew that I didn’t want to run or walk every day and that there had to be other alternatives to mix things up. So, if you’ve already thought about an area of your life that you’d like to work on, what alternatives can you use to improve that area? 

I’ve always wanted to bend and reach down to the ground from an upright position. I mean, you might recall trying to do this in your physical education classes in elementary or high school. I then realized that there are a plethora of yoga videos on YouTube. This is where I stumbled across Yoga with Adrienne, who takes a personal approach to yoga. With YouTube and a free app like Yoga for Beginners | Mind+Body, I improved my physical health through another alternative. So, what alternatives can you really pursue to improve an area in your life? 

I started with yoga sessions every 2 days. Once I felt like this was a small enough and comfortable pace, I then did yoga every other day. Now, I’m doing yoga every day and hope to maintain this pace. I found a new alternative to improving my physical health, and on top of that, I started small! If you’re looking for academic tips, why not choose one thing you’ll change in your study habits, and try a new habit just 3 times a week to start with?

2021: Your year

I can’t provide you with a step-by-step guide to getting your life together for 2021 during a pandemic, but I can give you some general ideas that you should reflect on. 

What is one thing that you want to focus on? How can you work toward this in a small and incremental manner? In what ways can you accomplish this one goal? 

Once you’ve applied these basic ideas successfully, move to a different and vital area of your life. Having worked toward one area in your life, you will be ready to improve the next.

Believe in yourself. 2021 will be your year, and you shouldn’t have to wait for good things to happen in your life! Begin now, reflect, start small, and expand.

See you soon, friends!

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