Health Success in the New Year

Many New Year’s Resolutions, while well-intended, ultimately fail because they do not take into account our whole person and our deeper needs. Let’s address some of those deeper needs and break through the barriers to having and sustaining a fabulous new year.

Numero uno is we are not kind enough to ourselves in the process of implementing our resolutions.  We become very rigid with ourselves - “we must do it this way;” “we must eat this way;” “we must not do this,” etc.  Many of us are internally unkind to our bodies, especially any fat that doesn’t meet the cultural standard of fit.  It is wrong to be fit?  No, but it’s not wrong to be overweight either.

What’s hurtful in this situation is our inner self-talk that puts us down or shames us for how we appear in the mirror.   What’s key here is are we healthy?  And that our internal and external health are inextricably linked.  To be able to keep any external goal you must also balance it with adjusting your internal attitudes.

When I lived in India for a year, I experimented with this process myself.  I first became aware of how rigid I was with myself in terms of diet.  And then I did something radical, I let go of it all.  I let go of all the inner restrictions, all the inner criticisms, all the rigidity around it.  And it happened.  Over time my cycles naturally regulated themselves and I noticed I was consuming a balanced and nourishing diet both externally and internally.

I want to emphasize the act of noticing in this because it is the key to achieving this for yourself.  Noticing, or mindfulness, is a non-action.  It has no opinion, no bias, no judgement or blame or shame.  It is simply observing what is. In this act of simply noticing, I released stress, one of the key components to illness, and eliminated reactive eating.  This in turn allowed me to trust my body’s inner knowing of health and its own natural rhythms.  This was an act of kindness, love, and compassion for myself and my body.  I invite you to embark on journey of kindness in the New Year.

This year when you create your New Year’s Resolution ask yourself:

• How can my New Year’s Resolutions really sustain me throughout the year?  


• How can I be kind and respect the cycles of my body, heart, and mind?


• How can this resolution give me the nourishment I need internally to be able to meet my external goals?

This then will get us much closer to sustaining those aims throughout the year while giving them the flexibility and depth to nourish us on the inside.  At Bhu, part of our mission is to nourish through healthy products and conscious, upliftment.  Messages of self-love, kindness, and compassion are what really satiate the soul, and, in turn create an environment of healthy motivations to fulfill the body.