I’ve seen it countless times – everyone wants to get a jump start on their goals in January. And then by January 18^th-ish, nearly everyone has either given in to inertia, or postponed their goals (maybe next year!), or changed their goals altogether.

Contrary to what our culture demonstrates this time of year, in the northern hemisphere, January is the time for rest, dreaming, and establishing that internal alignment to whatever we want to experience and create next.

This is so that when it IS time to take action (think early to mid-March), that action comes from a place of “appropriate” commitment – not what we “think” we should be doing (often because everyone else is doing it), but what we know, deep down inside of ourselves, we want to do – because we feel drawn or even called to do it from a place that lives deep inside of us.

In the spirit of what this time of year is really all about – resting, dreaming, feeling, aligning – here are some questions to help you clarify what your body wants and needs from you in 2025.

The answers you receive can help you 1) prioritize your health (something we so very often put on the back burner), 2) inform the decisions you make for your body and health, and also 3) guide the actions you decide to take on behalf of your body and health, in 2025.

Set a timer for 8 minutes. Light a candle if you wish – it helps to make the whole experience feel a bit more “sacred”. Then choose how you will answer these questions – either on your computer, or with your journal and favorite writing implement, or even via voice recording – whatever feels easiest and best to you.

 

Are you ready? Let’s go!

1. What are the frequent things you think or say about your body – to yourself and to other people? (Ex: I’m strong!, my immune system is so resilient, I’m so fat, I hate my thighs, my body is broken in some way, I’m so grateful for my body, my body feels so beat up and exhausted… etc.)
2. Do you like how you think and speak about your body? If not, how would you like that to change in 2025?
3. When it comes to your body and health, what have you been ignoring, avoiding, or hoping will simply resolve itself on its own? Make a list. (Ex: a knee or shoulder that “bothers” you, a tooth that hurts, ongoing sleep issues, stubborn weight that makes it hard to move your body, brain fog, digestive woes, feeling tired no matter how much sleep, you get, etc.)
4. If this body or health issue/s was resolved, in what ways would that change your life? How would you live your life differently? How would the quality of your life improve?
5. When it comes to your body and health, what do you want to stop doing in 2025? (Ex: extreme dieting, smoking, going to bed after 11pm, eating foods that hurt my stomach, exercising in ways I hate, eating sugar, etc.)
6. What do you want to start doing for your body and health in 2025? (Ex: learn how to meditate, go gluten-free to see if it helps, take a weekly yoga class, figure out how to eat more fiber, eliminate heartburn, lower blood pressure, etc.)
7. Do you currently have the “right” support in your life to help your address the issue/s in your body or health? Do you feel seen, supported, and like someone has your best interests at heart? If yes, who?
8. On a scale of 1 – 10 (1 = it’s at the bottom of my list, 10 = it’s of highest importance): How much of a priority is taking care of your body and health in 2025? (Be super honest with yourself here.)
9. How do you feel about the number you just wrote down in #8? Do you wish that number was different than it is? If so, why?
10. How does your future-self want you to care for your body and health in 2025? When it comes to your body and health, what does your future-self know that your present day self needs to hear? (For this question, ask your future-self to answer for you. Write down what she says!)

Once you’ve taken the time to answer these questions for yourself, sit with your answers.

What did these questions open up or awaken inside of you?

So often, people ignore, override, and downplay the importance of their bodies and health until they have to look at it. Most of the time, this happens when there is a health crisis of some kind.

Our bodies might whisper to us for years, trying to get our attention. Then suddenly they start screaming at us in ways we can no longer ignore.

Please think of this as your clarion call to give your body and health the attention they deserve – long before your body has to scream at you.

It is so much easier to give our bodies ongoing care and prevent health issues before they begin, than it is to reverse and heal them.

Don’t get me wrong – it IS possible to heal them. But why let things get to that point?

Let’s celebrate the bodies we have. Let’s give them the care and attention they deserve!

Here’s to your amazing, beautiful, and resilient body. I’m wishing both of you a beautiful year ahead!