My first experience with a New Year’s resolution occurred at the age of 13.
I looked in the mirror on Jan. 1 and said to myself, I hate my fat. All of it. I’m going to get rid of all of it this year. My love affair with diet pills, celery and exercise was off and running. Unfortunately, it took nine years for me to realize that my resolve would never produce the outcome I desired — which was for me to look in the mirror and love its reflection.
So, here goes. Here are the six New Year’s resolutions that I will never demand of my body again. These are the resolutions that disconnect women from their own bodies and souls, and make us into a product to desire rather than a woman who is already more than enough.
1. I do not resolve to lose weight
A number on a scale is only a number, and it’s likely higher than normal at the beginning of the new year. It’s not a big deal. Instead of hating an arbitrary number, I resolve to eat tasty foods that make my body run properly. The numbers on the scale will follow.
2. I do not resolve to tone up
Ripped abs do not have the power to make me happy, unless I base my happiness on the compliments and attention I receive from strangers. And that’s a happiness that will never last long. If I tone up, it will be from doing the things I love, like running to the park with my daughter or gardening with a friend.
3. I do not resolve to banish comfort food
Food is enjoyable. It is not a temptation to conquer. I am my happiest when I eat the foods and drink the beverages that my body asks for — since it asks for exactly what it needs.
4. I do not resolve to wake up earlier for any reason
We live in a generation that makes room for busy schedules by chipping away at the hours we sleep. This is insane. Our bodies need rest and recovery. There is no personal goal worth neglecting nature’s demand that we sleep for one-third of each day.
5. I do not resolve to polish my look
Playing with hair and makeup is fun, but it has never brought me a sense of joy. If I polish my look in the new year, I will do so because I enjoy it and not because I believe it will add quality to my life.
6. I do not resolve to just be better, just be more
Healthy momentum is born from a place of satisfaction rather than deprivation. That’s a counter-cultural thought, but it’s true. I will never be better or more by listing my faults and deficiencies. I will be better and more by claiming the truth that I am already enough.
This year, I resolve to practice those habits that make me feel increasingly at home in this body of mine because it is miraculous as it is.
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