ANEU Year, ANEU YOU….isn’t that what we’ve been trained to think and act on?Â
Every year, for as long as I can remember, I would enjoy myself without inhibition from Thanksgiving until January 1st. My version of ‘ANEU YOU’ was a completely dry January, forcing myself into starvation to lose ten pounds by my birthday on January 21st. That is literally an impossible goal. Time after time, I set myself up for failure and then had to start all over again.
It’s a typical pattern for many of us. We fall into all-or-nothing thinking. We believe that change has to be hard to be real. And the moment our new routines slip, we criticize ourselves instead of getting curious about why it happened.
About 3 years ago, all of that changed for me.
Consistency Beats Intensity
It’s never one thing that makes you change…it’s a series of aha moments that finally hit you over the head. Eventually, you understand what it takes to make lasting change: consistency. This month’s Longevity Lab teacher, Kori, said it perfectly: “It’s a 1-degree shift in your thoughts, feelings, and actions done consistently over time that yields huge results.†I love that. And I have to admit—that is exactly what happened to me.
The greatest shift wasn’t physical; it was mental.  Not the chanting-and-sitting-in-silence kind of shift, but the pause I now take to stay present when making decisions about my mind and body—what to put in it or on it, who I spend time with to keep my stress in check, and how I move throughout the day.
When you truly accept that food can be medicine—or poison—in your body, it becomes much harder to make a bad decision in the moment.
Three Non-Negotiables
A few other things have made a real difference for me…and they’re things anyone can adopt. Preparedness is a game-changer. I always have healthy food in my house that takes no time to whip together and eat, especially when I’m rushing around (which is most of the time). Movement is another non-negotiable. Every day I insist on intentional movement, whether that’s lifting weights at the gym, or hiking with my dog. And then there is mindfulness—that simple, judgement-free pause that keeps you grounded in the present, honed through quiet time and self-care.
Here’s the amazing part: I was listening to a class recently, and the Buddhist teacher revealed an incredible statistic: people who practice mindfulness have a 23% longer lifespan than those who only eat well and move their bodies.
Replace Judgment with Curiosity
So, when I feel the pull to diverge from my path, the best thing I can do is get curious about why I want to make that choice. Curiosity, not judgment, almost always leads me back to the right decision…the one that reminds me that my body is my temple, and no one else will take care of it the way I can.
And I don’t know about you, but when I think about change as a 1-degree shift instead of 10 pounds in 21 days—it feels a whole lot more doable…and a whole lot more sustainable.