Resolutions vs. Intention Statements

Gluten and I hate each other. Okay, that's not entirely true.  It’s more like a double dutch jump rope rhyme:

I love gluten but it hates me. When I eat it, I feel icky!

I don't have celiacs or even a ‘gluten sensitive’ diagnosis, but I do know my body.

When I indulge in gluteny-goodness the upper effect only lasts a moment on my taste buds.

After that, it’s a downward spiral of fatigue, bloating, gas, and a tendency to fight these symptoms by reaching for MORE unhealthy food. 

A self-imposed, self-fullfilling (pun intended) food-guilt-icky feeling cycle. 

It’s no wonder that I count as one of the 68% of Americans whose New Year intentions point to better food choices and weight loss, which, of course, are inextricably connected.

We fail 100% of the time when we set unrealistic and unattainable goals that anchor us into an impossible outcome. (read: Resolutions) 

Typical New Year’s Resolution: “I will lose 20 pounds in 6 months”. 

My reason to eat less gluten is so that I FEEL better. And when I feel good, I naturally make healthier food choices across my whole diet. The organic outcome will be that I lose some weight. (and who doesn’t want that?)

But notice how I built myself some wiggle room for temptation and to still feel like I’m achieving my overall goal to be mostly gluten free. 

My New Year’s Intention: “I am becoming a person who chooses not to eat gluten 5 out of 7 days a week so that I feel good in my body.” 

But holy blueberry muffins, is it hard! 

And I’m not even surrounded by toddler snacks, easy to access drive throughs, or premade take and eat food from the grocery store!

Eating well as a mom to honor and respect your adult body so that you love your self AND have the energy to keep up with your kids is a BIG job.

That’s why I’m thrilled to bring Callie Cavanaugh to the show! She is the founder of Nonna Eats, here to teach us that to make long lasting, healthy change we need to redefine our relationship with food. 

Plus, check out my episode Intentions vs Resolutions: Shift Your Mindset where I go deeper into the distinction between a New Year’s resolution and an intention. Because how we FRAME the goal is how we will find the motivation to take actions to MEET that goal.

Cara Tyrrell, M.Ed is mom to three girls, a Vermont based Early Childhood Educator, Collaborative Parenting Coach, and the founder of Core4Parenting. She is the passionate mastermind behind the Collaborative Parenting Methodology™, a birth-to-five, soul and science based framework that empowers toddler parents and educators  to turn tantrums into teachable moments. Through keynotes, teacher training, and her top-ranking podcast, Transforming the Toddler Years, she’s teaching the 5 Executive Functioning Skills kids need to navigate our ever-changing world.