January 1st is a funny date-people have a WIDE variety of opinions about New Year’s Day and New Year’s Resolutions.  I was on social media yesterday and someone posted in a group a generic question about resolutions and they got so much HATE back!  Apparently, many people are at a point where they don’t set resolutions because they don’t want to fail, and that made my heart sad.  If we constantly stay the same, then nothing will improve and while I’m all for “work smarter, not harder” in most situations, I don’t subscribe to that when it comes to health, even my own.  However, this is the first year in a LONG TIME where I woke up feeling hopeful, energized, and ready to tackle my intentions for the year.  I have changed my mindset for my health journey from goals (to me, that means that there’s an end point, which is not accurate) to intentions (what am I prioritizing for this year?  What will I make part of my daily life?)  So for 2026, this is my What’s Staying, What’s New, and What I’m Leaving Behind list:

What’s Staying:

*Boundaries: As an empath, I used to feel like I was carrying everything on my shoulders and it was emotionally and physically exhausting.  I spent a lot of time working on this and now I can go through life without feeling like every success was dependent on me.  A large part of this is due to setting personal boundaries: boundaries for work/home, but also emotional boundaries-what will I tolerate from other people, advocating for myself, and ensuring that I surround myself with individuals who support me, not tear me down.  

*Being My Most Authentic Self:  I used to do a lot of masking and people-pleasing to support the above carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.  This involved taking on projects that didn’t support my values, priorities, or passions.  In 2025, I became a board-certified health coach and have been able to fill my desire to help others become the healthiest version of themselves.  I also have been fortunate enough to start a health curriculum at my school, so I also get to share my passion with the next generation!  I have way more energy from not having to hide my authentic self and it has been liberating.  

What’s New:

*Incorporating More Movement Each Day: I have been on a journey for the last year to improve my body composition.  I have made a lot of progress, but one of the things that helps me the most is being intentional in increasing the number of steps I take per day.  For me, that number needs to be a minimum of 12-13,000 to increase fat loss.  I know I am able to do this (especially during the work week), so I just need to be intentional about doing so consistently.

*Eating My Veggies: As I have mentioned before, I HATE vegetables, but they are the cheat code for weight/fat loss as they are low-calorie and increase fullness.  I have been trying to increase the number of servings of vegetables, but for this year, I have added a space on my grocery list to include what vegetables I am including in my lunches and dinners each night.  While I may not always eat them, I am guaranteed to eat more than I did in the past! 

*Eating More Ice Cream!: Wait, doesn’t that actively work against my fat loss goal?!  Yes…and no.  My family gave me a Ninja Creami for my Christmas/early birthday present and it has been life changing for us (mainly for my sons, who love ice cream and don’t eat enough protein).  I love ice cream, but it’s hard to fit into my daily calorie goal, so I eat it very infrequently.  Thanks to my new toy, I can make pints of ice cream out of protein shakes, control the amount of sugar I’m using, and have a DELICIOUS treat for a fraction of the calories (and increase my protein intake!)  If you need me, I’ll be making another batch of pistachio creami….

What I’m Leaving Behind:

*All or Nothing Thinking: This is where the majority of weight loss plans fail.  If we have a plan or a diet, and then we stray from it, a lot of people quit, or continue to overeat and will start over later (or not).  But the secret to weight loss is that consistency will beat out perfection every time.  Don’t think you have to be perfect all of the time, even if you do a bleh workout instead of a hard one, overeat one meal, etc., if you can get back on track the rest of the time, you will have way more success than if you just gave up.  

* “Bad” Foods: Using ice cream as my example, if I told myself that I could never have ice cream, what would happen?  I would want it all of the time and probably eat too much of it.  All foods can fit into any diet in moderation.  As someone who teaches sixth, seventh and eighth graders, I am very specific about this-we don’t need to demonize food.  

*Putting Everyone Else’s Needs Before My Own: For years, I took care of my family and ignored my own health.  Many times, I went to the doctor because I had a cold that turned into a double ear infection and a sinus infection, just because I waited so long to seek help!  Now, I balance my needs with everyone else’s and I am a much happier person.  

What are your intentions for 2026?  If you are looking for guidance towards your success, I am currently taking new clients for this winter!  Visit my website to schedule a free consultation: https://www.creeksidehealthcoaching.com.