The bubbly’s gone, we’re down to the last few chocolate truffles and that incredible French cheese was happily shared with friends and family. The holidays were a wonderful, hectic time of fantastic meals, shared laughs and a few new sock monkey additions to the family. For me, the few pounds that arrived were collateral to strengthening our social connections and sharing the familiar holiday traditions. But if those few pounds (and a few of their friends) are still hanging around in March, as we’re packing for our sunny escape, I’m not going to remember why I was so benign about their arrival. A plan is in order.
The path to wellness and well-being is different for everyone. For some people, nothing excites them more than the idea of tackling the physical and mental requirements of a triathlon. For others, jump starting their social life and giving back to their community is just the thing to get them engaged with life. The motivation to accomplish healthy change in your life comes from bringing your choices in line with your core values and beliefs. You need to re-discover what you’re passionate about, and what brings you your deepest fulfillment to tap into the motivation for change.
But there lies the rub. With all the different paths to wellness, which one will work for me? Where to start? Fortunately, I read a couple of great books about change over the holidays and one of them, Mindset – The New Psychology of Success really illuminated a key determinant of your choices – your deepest beliefs. Carole Dweck identifies two types of mindsets – fixed and growth – that we use to make decisions about ourselves.
Dweck says that people with a fixed mindset believe that their traits are an unchangeable part of who they are. They have a certain amount of brains, talent and skill and nothing can change that. People with a growth mindset see their qualities as things that can be developed through their dedication, effort and learning. They understand that no one has ever accomplished great things without years of passionate practice and learning. Each of us uses both a growth and fixed mindset in our lives, but lasting change only comes out of the growth mindset.
What I took from her ideas is that I have accepted my fitness level, tastes, and choices as a fixed part of me and part of how I define myself. I’ve heard people say that they are a runner, or a couch potato, or a tennis player, or an Ironman (warning: a very funny, but very rude, example of a fixed mindset) What if I don’t actually know who I am? Now that’s a concept!
The plan for 2011? Definitely back on the surfboard in March – at least for that half-second ride. This week I’ll start with two of my old favourites, T-Tapp and walking, to get back into a regular exercise routine, and I’ll eat a lot more vegetables. Then I’ll start experimenting with different ways of exercising and eating and see what really works for me. Suddenly, it seems a bit more like an adventure than a battle against my jeans!