Still searching for that New Year motivation? Don’t worry – there’s still time!
In this article we will seek to provide you with all the best tips to help fuel your everyday adventures!
The first part of this blog will be giving tips on forming healthy habits, while the second part will provide tips on effective goal setting. Our hope is that with the combination of these 10 tips, you will be better equipped to tackle the New Year ahead.
Part 1: Forming Healthy Habits
The beginning of a new year is an excellent time to reflect on the previous year and work towards positive change in your life. We believe the foundation that fuels this momentum is forming healthy habits, which are actions that we perform consistently and automatically. Although we believe healthy habits can be formed at any time of the year, the new year provides a ‘clean slate’ to give you the extra motivation to push through any obstacles in front of you.
So how can you form healthy habits in the new year? Here are 5 tips to help get your new year started strong:
1. Start small: It's important to start with a small, achievable behavior and gradually increase the difficulty or frequency as the habit becomes more automatic. For example, if you want to start exercising regularly, begin by committing to a short 10 minute walk every day for a week, and then gradually increase the distance or intensity as it becomes easier. Over time, this will allow you to build upon your previous successes and start stacking momentum.
"The hardest part is getting out the door. Something is better than nothing."
-Virginia Solomon, PCBR Team
2. Be consistent: Consistency is key when it comes to forming habits. Choose a behavior that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine and make a commitment to stick with it consistently for a period of time, such as one month. As hard as it may be, allow yourself to commit to this period of time, before making any decisions on giving up!
3. Create a supportive environment: Surround yourself with people who will encourage and motivate you, and make sure that you have the resources and tools that you need to succeed. For example, if you want to eat healthier, stock your pantry with healthy food options and join a support group or hire a coach to help you stay on track.
"Something that I heard a while back that’s been helping me is- you can’t wait to be motivated, you have to start and the motivation will come.
For parents with twins it’s been helpful to have partners that support each other to get our exercise or training in. I’m finally starting to find some kind of rhythm and automaticity to it within my schedule."
- Erin Sweetser, PCBR Team
4. Track your progress: It can be helpful to track your progress and celebrate your successes along the way. This can go a long way in helping you to stay hungry and actually visualize the progress that you are making, that you might not have noticed at a glance.
5. Be patient: Forming new habits takes time! So be patient with yourself. It's normal to have setbacks and obstacles along the way, so don't get discouraged if you have a hard time sticking to your new habit at first.
Keep putting in the effort and over time these will become easier to tackle!
"Drastic changes are hard to keep up, making lots of small changes over time will eventually get you to your goal without risking burnout."
- Veronica Paulsen, Professional Skier
"You can do all the above but if you are not having fun, you are not likely to continue the behavior. So, have fun with your squad and find that love for your bike! This makes working out not seem like a chore but an overall benefit to the mind, body and soul."
- Sol Squad, Womens MTB Team
Bonus Tip:
Fuel Accordingly: Your body needs regular fuel to help keep your mind sharp and focused throughout the day. Here at PROBAR we provide a one-stop shop for plant-based nutrition to help keep you tackling all challenges life throws your way. Not familiar with our products? Give our Starter Pack a go and see what product line you enjoy most!
We recommend BOLT for bursts of energy throughout the day, MEAL for times where you just can’t get a nutritious meal in, and PROTEIN for a high-protein snack following any workout or just to get in that extra boost of plant-based protein throughout your day.
By starting small, being consistent, creating a supportive environment, tracking your progress, and being patient with yourself, you are well on your way to developing sustainable, healthy habits that will support your long-term success and growth in 2023 and on.
Part 2: Effective Goal Setting
Now that we’ve given some tips on the foundation of forming these healthy habits, you can expand upon the impact by setting goals to pair with them. Setting goals is an integral part of personal and professional development, as it helps us to focus our efforts and continue to stay motivated. By setting goals, we can also measure our progress and make adjustments as needed to ensure that we are on track to achieve our desired outcomes.
However, not all goals are created equal. In order for goals to be effective, they must be well-defined and aligned with our own values and priorities. Here are 5 tips below for setting effective goals:
1. Make your goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This means that your goals should be clear and specific, with a measurable outcome, and be achievable within a certain time frame.
For example, if you want to run your first marathon, detail out a specific event you would like to attend, and then set specific and measurable steps to guide your training; such as running 3 miles week A, 6 miles week B, and so on.
2. Set goals that are aligned with your values: Make sure that your goals are in line with your personal values and priorities. This will help you actually enjoy and commit to these tasks, even when motivation is running low some days!
Ask yourself; what do I really want to achieve – and more important WHY?
3. Break your goals down into smaller, more manageable tasks: Large, long-term goals can seem overwhelming and difficult to ever achieve. By breaking your goals down into smaller, more manageable tasks, you can count your wins as you move along, which will help reduce burnout.
4. Set deadlines: Deadlines can help you stay on track and ensure that you are making progress towards your goals.
We recommend writing these deadlines down and checking in regularly to ensure you’re holding yourself accountable for your daily actions.
5. Review and adjust your goals regularly: It is important to regularly review and adjust your goals as needed to ensure that you are still on track to achieve them.
We’re all human and sometimes life can get in the way of what we originally had planned. What’s important is that you’re being realistic and acknowledging areas where you need to pivot!
"Once spring comes around and the count down to summer backpacking trips starts, it’s time to make some goals! We usually want to be hiking 15mi/25km and carrying 20-30lbs by late June/early July, so we gradually increase our walking distance and load weight.
I’ve made the mistake of increasing too much too soon, so it’s important to give yourself time to reach the goal without injury."
-Brigid Scott, Hiker & Photographer
We hope that you enjoyed these tips and continue to use them as inspiration to fuel your everyday adventures! We would love to hear all about the progress you’re making in 2023 by sharing with us on social media using the hashtag #fueledbyprobar.
So what are you waiting for? Your next adventure starts now!
