Getting Back to Basics

As we say goodbye to the year 2020, we welcome the opportunity for a fresh start. Like every new year, we are faced with the question of,

"How we will be making the most of this clean slate?"

In past years, New Year resolutions would consist of various positive and ambitious goals of eating healthier, starting a fitness journey, beginning a new hobby, or other things of that nature. However, as valiantly as we try, these efforts typically don’t last into February. Or if they do, they are most certainly dead by March.

Now this year we face an even greater challenge of starting 2021 during this relentless pandemic that doesn’t want to let up. Depending on where you live, gyms may be closed, the outdoors may be a winter wonderland complete with icy roads and frigid temperatures, and overall motivation is undoubtedly fleeting at best.

So, for this years' resolution, I decided not to tie myself to some unrealistic goal of losing 50lbs by February 12th or aiming to complete a half marathon by Spring. Instead,

I decided that what I needed most was to get back to basics.

What are the things I wanted to prioritize this year and aim to make a habit moving forward? I could work to improve my diet and incorporate more fruits and vegetables. I could commit myself to do some sort of physical activity every day. I could buy myself yet another journal and vow to write something inside it every day. Then I realized, all these ideas were past year resolutions I had made before that just never stuck.

I knew I needed to think even more basic.

So I asked myself, what could I incorporate into my everyday life that would be beneficial yet sustainable? What could I aim to do every day that could remain consistent during these inconsistent and unpredictable times?

Then I remembered something my mother said to me when I was a child,

“Just drink water, sweetie. It’s the most basic thing our bodies need.”

Just drink water. It’s such simple advice but here I am, 20-something years old and the only time I drink water is when I exercise. Life has become so busy and fast-paced I am either sucking down a coffee for energy or enjoying a tea to try and relax. But, it doesn’t get more basic than drinking water.

So, this year my fresh start was going to be to drink more water; specifically, begin every morning with a 500ml bottle of water (a re-useable bottle, of course).

Seeing as there is no effort or equipment required of this habit, I felt it was the best thing to try and start this year. Something that required little effort, little motivation, and best of all, I have absolutely zero excuses not to continue doing it no matter what this year might throw at me.

Since beginning this new habit on December 31st, because January 1st was simply too cliché, I have been successful in my water-guzzling so far.

Have I noticed a significant change? Not directly, but I have noticed that beginning my day with water causes me to crave water throughout the day. Though I will admit, a little squirt of Mio helps to not bore the tastebuds.

Ultimately what this simple change has done is create some consistency during this period of instability. Indirectly, I feel like my success with my morning water dates is translating to other areas of my goals as well. I have found myself writing more often and completing my writing projects 100% more than before. I can say that with confidence because before this year, I have never completed a writing project.

Allow this Fresh Start article to be a testament to that!

One month into 2021, and I don’t know how I ever started my days without drinking water. Perhaps this year the best thing we can do for ourselves is to not add complication to an already complicated time. We are currently living through a historical event, there is no need to add even more pressure on ourselves with some extreme New Year resolution. Maybe all we need to do is get back to basics and rediscover something as simple as drinking more water.