What's On My Mind - January 2025
What’s On My Mind
What’s On My Mind
Maybe You Should Abandon Your New Year’s Resolutions
This Month’s Health Challenge
Take a Break From Alcohol
What’s On My Mind
Maybe You Should Abandon Your New Year’s Resolutions - by Kyle Ligon
Just because you made a resolution doesn’t mean that it’s actually worth your time and effort! Is the goal you chose, how you’re choosing to tackle it, and the effort required to reach it, in line with the life you want to live. The only way to know, is to take the time to dig deep into what you want your life to look like, so you can have a perspective that allows you to reflect on potential goals you may want to pursue.
Most resolutions get abandoned within the first week or two of the New Year and, sadly, people blame their willpower and other personal qualities. But, maybe it’s not you, but instead your goal setting process.
It is definitely not worth using incredible amounts of willpower and putting in tons of effort towards arbitrary goals that are not actually meaningful for you. In this article I’m going to explore both,
why quitting may be the right choice and
how to quit less often.
Quitting usually comes down to challenging moments. Maybe we are tired, stressed, busy, or scared. In those moments, the upcoming effort required loses priority in our life, either to comfort or other aspects like relationships, career, family, etc. Sometimes there’s even an epiphany moment - “Why am I doing this?” If you haven’t deeply considered “Why” ahead of time, then it's easy to deprioritize your goals or give in to the more comfortable route.
So, to both, feel better about quitting and to quit less often, it comes down to understanding the life you want to live. When you have this perspective, then the right purpose can be put behind the goals you choose to target, allowing the right priorities on the required efforts.
Let’s look at one of my favorite examples: A common goal that crops up in peoples’ minds is wanting to run a marathon (or half-marathon).
Training for a marathon takes a lot of time, puts a lot of stress on your connective tissues, and people who choose this goal typically approach it with a running-only program, to the detriment of what should be their Non-Negotiable Fitness Goals. This can be a recipe for trouble.
Unlike developing muscle and cardio which can happen in a matter of months, strengthening connective tissues takes years. Unless you have been playing sports or running consistently for years, taking on a running-only program puts most people at a high likelihood of an overuse injury, mainly because of this slow developing connective tissue issue.
I found it interesting that the same issue happens often to those who take steroids. They can immediately grow muscle and strength faster and therefore use heavier and heavier weights, but their weights and workouts, although keeping pace with their muscles, outgrow their connective tissues. Nagging injuries, usually related to overuse of connective tissues, tend to start cropping up a few months into the high volume training.
Anyway, this isn’t to say that Marathons are inherently a bad goal or this connective tissue issue cannot be overcome, but without the proper foundation and a holistic cross-training program that takes this into account, someone who chooses this goal is likely to be on a tough journey. And, for what purpose? Is the marathon actually meaningful to their life or did they just pick it without much deep thought?
Many peoples’ goal setting process for things like this goes something like, “I want to lose body fat. Cardio is the best way to lose fat (this is a myth by the way), running is cardio, so I’m going to choose a running goal because when I reach it, it will give me the body composition results I want. I’m going to train for a marathon.” It happens almost as quickly as reading that sentence took.
If the real goal is fat loss, there are so many strategies that are not only more effective, but will actually better fit the actual life people are trying to live - Check out The Summary of The MovementLink Method.
But, because most people put much energy into coming up with their goals, working with a coach on the best ways to approach the goal, and exploring why reaching that goal would be meaningful for the life they want to live, they land on arbitrary goals with poor strategies that lead them down dark paths that don’t align with the life they actually want to live. When the journey gets challenging, they either put extreme energy and effort into things that don’t actually align with their life or they quit, typically blaming themselves instead of their goal setting process.
Abandoning a goal that does not fit the life you want to live is what you should do. But, when your goal is in line with the life you want to live, you should absolutely dig deep and follow-through when things get challenging. So, if you want to quit less goals and dramatically increase the motivation behind your goals, then you need to have a clear understanding of what you want your life to be like.
Once you’ve got the vision, the purpose, and understand your priorities, it’s time to follow-through, especially when you don’t want to. Here’s my trick. It’s a goofy way of thinking of myself as two different people, one who gets to make decisions and one who doesn’t…
In-The-Moment-Me can be anxious, nervous, scared, and tends towards easy wins and comfort. I can’t trust this hedonic version of me to delay gratification and consistently make decisions that best align with the life I want to live.
Therefore, In-The-Moment-Me is not allowed to make big decisions and instead has one job - to follow through on what Rested-Motivated-Me wants him to do. This leads to In-The-Moment-Me not being allowed to change the plans, not do something, or quit, because he doesn’t have the authority. These are decisions for Rested-Motivated-Me.
In-The-Moment-Me has a very important role and identity - He is someone who is willing to go all-in, use up every bit of energy and willpower to follow through on what Rested-Motivated-MeI wants myself to do, especially when it is challenging and there’s a risk of failure.
The power of this thinking is in the confidence that the worst case scenario isn't that bad. Let’s say In-The-Moment-Me was right. The efforts and the goal actually do not align with the life I want to live and I should abandon that particular journey. In-The-Moment-Me doesn’t have the authority to quit and needs to wait for Rested-Motivated-Me to review and make the decision about whether or not to change the plans.
So, in this worst-case, In-The-Moment-Me follows through on something that Rested-Motivated-Me is going to decide to quit or change. Big woop! In-The-Moment-Me had to do something he didn’t want to do one extra time…that’s not a big deal. That one extra time may be annoying, but will build grit, willpower, and reinforce the identity that I can and am willing to do challenging things.
But, what’s the best case scenario? All of those times that In-The-Moment-Me was wrong (which is almost all of the time), I followed-through on what Rested-Motivated-Me wanted me to do. Over my lifetime, simply showing up and following through on what Rested-Motivated-Me wants me to do, is going to compound into an incredible life.
So, to wrap this What’s On My Mind Up,
You should quit things that do not align with the life you want to live.
When you find yourself quitting, check to see if the problem started with your goal setting process.
With confidence that your goal is meaningful to your life and that even if you change your mind, the worst-case scenario isn’t that bad. Put all your effort into showing up and following through on the things you’ve decided you want yourself to do.
Happy 2025!
This Month’s Health Challenge
Take a Break From Alcohol - By Kelly Dodds
Many of us set resolutions for healthier habits in the new year, and a popular resolution is to avoid alcohol for the month of January– “Dryuary.” Though this may not apply to those who rarely drink alcohol, for those who consume even low to moderate amounts, avoiding alcohol can have positive effects on both physical and mental health. Whether you’re trying to reset your habits after the holiday season or seeking to improve overall well-being, a month of sobriety can offer several health benefits.
While moderate alcohol consumption can be part of social life for many people, it's important to recognize the negative impact alcohol can have on your health when consumed regularly, even in moderation. Here are several evidence-based reasons why alcohol may be adversarial to health:
Disrupts Sleep Patterns While alcohol may initially make you feel drowsy, it significantly disrupts the quality of sleep. Alcohol interferes with your sleep cycle, particularly by reducing the duration of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which is the restorative phase of sleep. Poor-quality sleep over time can lead to fatigue, decreased cognitive function, mood swings, and a weakened immune system.
Increases Risk of Chronic Diseases Excessive alcohol consumption is a leading cause of several chronic diseases, including liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. Alcohol is metabolized in the liver, and overconsumption can lead to liver damage, including fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Moreover, alcohol increases blood pressure and can damage the heart muscle, which raises the risk of heart disease and stroke. Alcohol also interferes with the liver’s ability to regulate blood glucose levels.
Affects Mental Health Alcohol is a depressant, which means it can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression. While some people may drink to cope with stress or emotional challenges, alcohol can worsen mental health issues over time. Regular drinking can alter brain chemistry, leading to mood swings, anxiety, and even long-term cognitive decline and dementia.
Impairing Weight Management Alcohol is high in “empty calories” and provides little to no nutritional value. A standard drink contains around 100–150 calories, and these calories can quickly add up, leading to excess body fat if consumed regularly. Additionally, alcohol impairs your body’s ability to burn fat, disrupting metabolism and leading to increased fat storage, particularly in the abdominal area associated with inflammatory visceral fat.
Weakened Immune Function Chronic alcohol use weakens the immune system, making the body more susceptible to infections and cancers. Alcohol suppresses the production of white blood cells, which are essential for fighting off illness. Taking a break from alcohol can help restore immune function and promote better overall health.
Abstaining from alcohol for just one month can offer several health benefits. Here's what you might experience when you give your body a break from alcohol in January:
Better Sleep Without the disruptive effects of alcohol, your sleep patterns are likely to improve. Many people report better quality sleep, feeling more rested and energized after abstaining from alcohol. This can lead to better mental clarity, improved mood, and increased productivity.
Weight Loss Eliminating alcohol can lead to a reduction in calorie intake and help with reductions in body fat. Without alcohol to slow down fat metabolism, the body can more effectively burn fat.
Improved Mental Clarity and Mood Abstaining from alcohol can significantly improve mental clarity, focus, and regulation of mood. It’s also an opportunity to break any patterns of drinking that might be negatively impacting your mental health and find new, healthier, stress management strategies.
Increased Energy Levels Many people experience an increase in overall energy and focus during a month of sobriety. Especially with improved sleep and circadian rhythm, you may feel more alert, productive, and motivated throughout the day.
Improved Liver Health The liver is responsible for detoxifying the body, and it works overtime when alcohol is consumed. A month without alcohol allows the liver time to repair and regenerate. Studies have shown that even short periods of alcohol abstinence can improve liver function and reduce fat buildup in the liver.
Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases A month of alcohol-free living can help lower blood pressure, improve heart health, and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases like liver disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Taking a break from alcohol may seem challenging if it’s a regular part of your lifestyle, but committing to this month’s challenge can offer both immediate and long-term benefits. By giving your liver time to recover, improving sleep quality, enhancing mental clarity, increasing energy levels, and reducing the risk of diseases, this change can have a profound impact on your overall well-being, provide an opportunity to learn more about how alcohol affects your life, and can set you on the path to a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. Finally, you might find that you don’t want to add alcohol back into your lifestyle after January, or you’ll at least have more insight into how alcohol affects your lifestyle and health.
This Month’s Challenge:
Start This Year With a Scientist Mindset: Scientists are curious and rational vs. closed-minded and judgemental. Being closed-minded and judgmental often keeps us in the same habit loops and prevents us from growing and evolving throughout our life. Be experimental, try new challenges, see what works and doesn’t work to help you achieve more out of life.
For this month’s challenge: ask lots of questions, like, why do you drink alcohol when you do, how often do you drink alcohol and how much, how do you feel when you’re consuming vs abstaining from alcohol, what role does alcohol play with your short term and long term goals, etc? Try to be unbiased with your observations, viewing your experience from a non-judgemental or emotionally-biased perspective to find facts about your relationship with alcohol.
Commit to the Challenge: Be curious about what you’ll discover after a month of no alcohol– what are you interested to find out about during this month’s challenge? Also, identify a few reasons why you will personally benefit from this challenge– to use as motivation– then, commit for the month of January. Committing for a month will offer insight into your life with vs. without alcohol.
Find Alternatives to Alcohol: For instance, order non-alcoholic beverages when out, and/or fill your time with activities that don’t involve drinking– like hobbies or socializing in alcohol-free environments.
Track Your Progress: Keep a journal of how you feel throughout the month. Jot down your daily energy levels on a scale of 1-10, track sleep, monitor body fat, and notice changes in performance at the gym to document metrics during the month with no alcohol to see measured differences and benefits. You can also use this data to compare to future times if/when you do drink alcohol.