Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'.
[00:00:10] Speaker C: All.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and NA on 90.7, the Capstone in 2026.
[00:00:17] Speaker C: Happy New Year.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. I mean, I don't know which. Maybe it's because I don't do as much handwritten stuff where I'm, like, signing things and dating it, or I just haven't yet in this of January. You know, I feel like, especially when you're in school and then you're having to, like, write things down, there's always that transition period of getting used to writing the year correctly. I haven't had that struggle yet, but it may be that I just haven't been writing the year on anything.
[00:00:49] Speaker C: Right.
Well, I do get confused sometimes because I'm still talking about 2025. And then I have to remember, wait, no, no, no, no. It's 2026.
Like, when I'm checking, like, an email or something and I'm trying to go back and look for something, I forget that we're not in spring of 2025. We're in spring of 2026.
[00:01:08] Speaker B: Or even I was, you know, looking at some, like, old picture, older pictures on my phone, and then I would see a date of something from, like, the fall of 2024. And.
And I would have thought, like, oh, that was just, you know, a couple months ago. And it's like, oh, wait, there was a fall 2025. Hold on. Yeah.
[00:01:27] Speaker C: Yes. It's kind of. It is. It kind of warps the mind a little bit. It gives. Yeah. I, for me, takes about three months to get used to it. Yes. It's about March when I start getting used to being okay, like, this is a new year.
[00:01:39] Speaker B: I mean, truly. Now I know this is our first time getting to record the show since all of the holidays. And Nika, I won't, you know, say on air the exact digits of our ages, but I feel like I could comfortably say we are in a season of life where, you know, when you think about gifts at Christmas, it's more so thinking about our kids. You know, we're not necessarily at an age where it's like, oh, I can't wait to get this for Christmas.
[00:02:05] Speaker C: Right, Right.
[00:02:06] Speaker B: But with that said, is there anything that you got in particular, big or small, that you're like, oh, this is. I really like this Christmas gift.
[00:02:16] Speaker C: Yeah. My mom hooked me up with a new shop vac, and I was so excited. And the cutest thing of all is my sister, who is seven Years younger than me.
I mean, she likes household things, too, but she's more. You know, she's going to want clothes and stuff.
And I opened mine up and I was so excited. And then a little bit later, she opens up a present, and she has one, too, and she was so excited.
So it was really kind of the first time I saw her nerding out over what I would call, like, premium adulthood.
You know, vacuum cleaners, toasters, dude shop vacs. You know, stuff that just makes your life easier.
[00:03:00] Speaker B: Those are some of my favorite gifts. Honestly, probably one of my favorite gifts within the past day, decade, or maybe even within the past five years was vacuum related. Like, I just. I don't know. It's a game changer. And I will say out of household task. Sometimes I feel like vacuuming is one of my favorites because there's instant gratification. Yes. But then. But it also. To get that instant gratification, that means your house has to be nasty so that you can. Or it doesn't. But just. It's like, oh, there really was dirt there.
[00:03:31] Speaker C: You know, that hidden dirt.
Yeah. So what did you get that was just, like, your favorite thing?
[00:03:38] Speaker B: I'm trying to think what.
What I really enjoyed, I will say so. One of the gifts that I got from my husband Terry, was a dash cam for my car. I haven't installed it in my minivan yet, but I think I had just been seeing way too many videos in my Instagram and Facebook algorithm of, like, you know, those viral videos where a dash cam is catching, you know, some crazy situation on the interstate. Maybe their personal vehicle wasn't even involved, but they got to record something happening in front of them. Yeah. So that's fascinating to me and y'.
[00:04:16] Speaker C: All.
[00:04:16] Speaker B: I'm. Gosh, I hate to say this on air, but I'm just gonna say there'd be some bad drivers in Tuscaloosa. And I just. I kind of need. You know, I kind of need the documentation if you're gonna, like. If I'm gonna be a victim to that.
[00:04:29] Speaker C: That. I mean, it's true.
[00:04:31] Speaker B: It is true.
[00:04:34] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, we are living in a litigious society, so you do have to have the receipt sometimes.
[00:04:40] Speaker B: I know. So, I mean, I've yet to install it once I do.
You know, I'm sure some of those stories will carry over into our show with some anecdotal things, but. Yeah, but no, I gotta get that hooked up.
Another thing that I got was a digital photo frame. I've gotten them for other people before. Did you really?
[00:05:01] Speaker C: Yes. My mom also got. My mom got my grandmother one and put all the pictures on it. And we were watching it and we were reminiscing. And then later on I opened it and she's like, but I didn't put the pictures on there for you. You can do it.
[00:05:13] Speaker B: Yeah. And you're like, okay, well, you know, and I don't know if you've set yours up yet or anything else. Mine, it's like there's an app and then a QR code or what? So you could share that with other friends. So if you shared your frames code with me, I could randomly add some photos onto the frame so I could be like, oh, surprise, Nik.
[00:05:38] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:05:39] Speaker B: But anyways, you guys, you know, I mean, again, this is our first episode of 2026. We've got to take a quick break, but we've got a doozy for you, I think.
[00:05:50] Speaker C: Yeah, I think we got some good meat and potatoes in here.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: Okay, well, there's your little teaser, you guys, we gotta take a break. Go run to the restroom. Do what you gotta do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7.
[00:06:03] Speaker C: And Capst.
[00:06:09] Speaker A: Uafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:06:18] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7. The capstone.
[00:06:24] Speaker B: That's right. And just before the break, you know, Nika and I, we were kind of comparing notes in regards to Christmas presents, talking about the transition to 2026. And so on that note, you know, we typically say, like, oh, man, we've got an awes some guests today. We're gonna really kick things off. But you guys, this first show, 2026, we're gonna keep it real with the OGs. It's just gonna be the two of.
[00:06:50] Speaker C: Us today dropping some knowledge.
[00:06:53] Speaker B: I mean, truly. So, you know, it is 2026.
We are a health and well being related show. So we would be remiss if we didn't talk about some 2026 New Year's resolutions.
[00:07:07] Speaker C: Come on, bring it. We're going to talk today about setting our health goals, our New Year's resolutions.
What holds us back?
You know, how do we set those goals?
Just kind of just digging in and getting it done.
[00:07:23] Speaker B: Yes. And now, you know, thinking about that, Nika, resolutions in general, whether this year or in years past, what kind of resolutions have you made in the past? Are you a resolutions kind of person?
[00:07:35] Speaker C: I am, but I'm a little different.
To start my resolutions at the end of November, at the beginning of December.
[00:07:44] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:07:44] Speaker C: So that I'm kind of easing in.
It's almost like I don't want to jump into the. The deep end of the pool when it's freezing cold. Like, I just kind of want to wade in slowly. So I feel like I'm giving myself a little bit of time to think about it, ruminate on it, kind of work it out, and then start practicing it so that by the time January 1st rolls around and it's not this huge change I'm applying to my life. I've given myself some time to really kind of settle in, to going, okay, we're gonna do this. Yeah.
[00:08:20] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:21] Speaker C: That's kind of my psychological trick for myself.
[00:08:23] Speaker B: Well, I like that. Now, may I ask, what.
What realm of resolutions you typically make?
You know, are they, like, health related?
You know, just personal growth habits in general?
[00:08:39] Speaker C: Yeah, a little bit of everything.
Now I'm just trying to simplify and clean up my house.
My children are transitioning from that little girl stage where they've got a lot of dolls and Barbies and doll houses and stuff. They're now getting a little bit older where they're kind of letting that go to the wayside. So I am trying to purge that. Sure. You know, and kind of just try to simplify my life, I guess. And the way I say that is like trying to get a little bit more organized, try to get ahead of the game on some things, try to initiate some new systems of organization in my life so that it just makes life flow a little bit easier.
So, for instance, one of the things I've started trying to do is on Saturday and Sunday, I want the groceries purchased. I want the gas in the car so that on Monday it's not so.
Oh, man. I meant to get gas this weekend, and now I'm on empty and I got to get to work on time. I'm just trying to reduce. Trying to take some of that stress off of myself by the decisions I make by not planning ahead. Right.
[00:09:57] Speaker B: Reduce the chaos at the beginning of the week. Now I. So correct me if I'm wrong. I feel like you're actually the person that has mentioned this before, and it might have been on this show, maybe even during the time where you are more a regular guest when. When Whitney was still with the show. But I feel like you kind of had a mantra or system of like, if, you know, if you've got 20 minutes, like, what kind of tasks can you do in your house in 20 minutes?
[00:10:29] Speaker C: Yeah, setting a timer. I actually Brought that today.
A lot of things that really weigh us down, that I have read through research, but then also I've lived is those unclosed loops. Yes. So walking by the lamp that has the burnout light bulb in it and going, I need to change that. And then two weeks later, you're still walking by going, oh, I need to change that. Change it. Yeah. So, like, setting a timer for 20 minutes and doing things where you're like, all right, all these things that I've been tolerating or ruminating over or trying to remind myself, like, get that out of your mind. Like, you know, just remove it. So set a timer to do things that. Closing the loops, I guess I should say. So it's like, okay, you know, I really wanted to carry this, you know, and put this in storage.
You know, this one last little Christmas item that I haven't put up. I want to change this light bulb. I want to, you know, I want to fix that.
Hang that picture on the wall.
You would be amazed at just how much lighter you feel. And it's like it was something that took 30 seconds. You're like, why have I been putting this off for a month? Right, right. You know, and so we all do it. Yeah, I do it really badly.
[00:11:45] Speaker B: Well, I just.
[00:11:46] Speaker C: I.
[00:11:46] Speaker B: You know, I mean, clearly, that really spoke to me, and I remember that now. Am I. You know, am I putting that in practice consistently? Maybe not. But the fact that I credit you for that, I think it's really fabulous advice. So that just made me think, you know, as you were talking about your resolutions, I was like, oh, wait, hold up. I' remember you talking about the research.
[00:12:08] Speaker C: Will say that when you do these little things, even though it seems like it's too small, it makes you feel accomplished, and it brightens your mood and your resolve. And it's the same kind of philosophy or of people who like to make a list and they like to make a list of things they've already done just because they like to be able to cross it all.
[00:12:25] Speaker B: Yeah. It's a sense of accomplishment. Yeah.
[00:12:28] Speaker C: So, you know, you'll see someone. You're like, are you putting things on your list that you've already done? You're like, yeah, because I can cross it off. It makes me feel really motivated.
[00:12:36] Speaker B: Well, and sometimes we just. We need that mental reminder of, like, hey, I actually was productive today. Yes. You know, so visually seeing that I was talking with one of our interns in our office earlier today.
[00:12:50] Speaker C: We.
[00:12:50] Speaker B: So we were talking about some of the different programs we do in our office and things related to mindfulness. And we were talking about a new activity that we're going to be doing later this spring called Tech Free Thursdays, where, you know, if you come into our programming space, it's basically, it's like a phones free event. And so you dial in on like a mindfulness activity or a craft or whatever else just being where your feet are. Because I think so many of us operate in a place of having way too many Internet Explorer tabs. Well, that's not even a browser anymore, but way too many Internet tabs opened in our brain. And so kind of like what you were talking about closing the loop on all these different things. I think sometimes I'm not as efficient with certain tasks because while I'm trying to do it, I'm also thinking about other things. And so I, I do what's called task hopping, either mentally or actually doing it. And it's like if I could have zoned in for 10 minutes, like on this document that I was working on instead of like, oh, oh, I gotta send this email to so and so, like, right.
[00:13:59] Speaker C: You know, interrupting yourself. Yeah.
Now tell me, do you make resolutions every year?
[00:14:06] Speaker B: You know, I do. You know, and I think that every year that we have had this show and we talk about this in the beginning of the year, I'll talk about some things that I'm interested in or like, oh, this is my goal. But I'm gonna admit Today on our January 2026 first show of the year, that I actually, I don't think I make concrete enough plans to put it into fruition. So I'll say, like, oh, you know, I'm really wanting to more related to stress management or getting more sleep. But then I don't make those smart goals, which we'll talk about later in our episode to make it happen.
And so I'm really hoping our conversation today leaves me with the feeling of like, okay, I've got to actually make goals related to these things that I'm saying. And that's not to say that there wasn't any progress made with these, but it could have been so much more if I'd had an actual game plan instead of just talking about it in a very, very mediocre generation.
[00:15:10] Speaker C: Very vague and just kind of, well, there's nothing to really measure. So how do you really know if you failed or succeeded?
[00:15:18] Speaker B: Yeah, so I don't know. And I know, you know, we're, we're gonna have to take a break soon, but. But just to kind of get the conversation started. You know, Nika, as we were preparing for today's show, I started looking at what are the kinds of New Year's resolutions that Americans are making in 2026. And honestly, I think the polling agency was, you know, there. There are some slight differences, but I feel like, for the most part, within the top three, you're seeing things related to mental health, your physical health, and finances. I mean, I feel like, yeah, that's pretty true to form.
[00:15:57] Speaker C: Pretty true to form. Yeah. Wanting to save more money, feel better, move better. Yeah. Live better. Yeah.
[00:16:06] Speaker B: So I think, you know, with that said, we've got to take a quick break, but just, you know, kind of putting that teaser out there because we're gonn little bit more about, you know, our professional thoughts on why people choose those things, and then also just some additional conversation about why do resolutions fail? You know, why do they fail? And then we're gonna kind of end the episode with how do we make them not fail?
[00:16:29] Speaker C: Right. Right.
[00:16:30] Speaker B: Okay, well, you guys run to the restroom, grab a sip of water, take a power nap. If that's part of your resolution, I don't know. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 cap.
[00:16:48] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:16:57] Speaker C: Hey, listeners, you are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And we are so excited to be back. Our first show of 2026.
We are discussing setting our health goals and our New Year's resolutions. How do we really make things stick so that we can look back and feel accomplished and just excited that we did what we said we wanted to do.
[00:17:25] Speaker B: Yeah. And before the break, you know, I think we teased a little bit about the fact that, you know, there. There's been some polls that have been out there and some articles that have been written recently about what types of things Americans are prior advertising in 2026 as it relates to New Year's resolutions. And there was more than one poll that I saw that had mental health at the top of the list. And so, you know, Nika, as a public health professional, what would you say to that? Do you feel like that tracks?
You know, because I think certainly with the type of society that we have, the things that are the stimulants to our. Our mental health in both positive and negative ways, this makes complete sense.
[00:18:15] Speaker C: Absolutely. Absolutely.
I mean, find me someone who is not struggling in some area or aspect of their mental and emotional health or a human that's a Normal part. I mean, you're not going to find anyone who is going to go to the doctor and every single biometric number screening, everything is going to be perfect.
[00:18:40] Speaker B: Right.
[00:18:40] Speaker C: So why should we expect that when it comes to our emotional and mental health health, we're human. And so removing the stigma and the taboo about talking about it, you know, is the first step. And I feel like we've really gotten a lot of progress in America in that aspect of, like, people are more open to talking about it. People are more open to say, hey, this area of my life is not healthy and what can I do to get it back on track?
[00:19:08] Speaker B: And I think that with science and healthcare and medicine in general there, it's easier to make that correlation between your mental health and your physical health just in terms of, you know, if your mental health is not doing well, we can see that in a lot of other data parameters like your blood pressure or anything else. And so I hate that. That's what we often have to use to justify to family members or friends who are not as keen on mental health care that, like, hey, you know, it's not. I'm not just trying to be this, like, weirdo granola, whatever, like, is also affecting me physically. So I feel like, you know, there's that piece that is helpful. And then, you know, we're in a society of the Internet and social media and thank goodness, praise the Lord, that, you know, back when we were growing up, Nika, we didn't. We were not constantly aware of what other people were doing. If there was a party and I wasn't invited, I didn't know unless you.
[00:20:14] Speaker C: Told me after the fact.
[00:20:17] Speaker B: Right, right.
[00:20:19] Speaker C: The comparison and the fear of missing out, that is. I mean, the research shows that people who are chronically online suffer from higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
And that's for a lot of reasons. You know, I don't think as humans, we are built to have the amount of information coming at us nonstop that we have access to via our electronic devices.
[00:20:51] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:20:51] Speaker C: Like, I can get on at any time and read about very sad things that's going on all over the world.
[00:20:59] Speaker B: Right.
[00:20:59] Speaker C: And should I be aware of all that? Especially if there's nothing that I really can do? Right.
And then you flip the script and you're like, I'm gonna go to somewhere a little bit more fun and lighthearted, and then you start feeling left out, or, well, I don't have that, or I want that, or I. You know, this comparison, it has a lot of benefits, but it also has a lot of downside and I feel that that needs to be talked about more.
[00:21:31] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So, I mean, I think given all those things, it definitely makes sense that mental health is a priority for individuals as we're trying to be more intentional with protecting that. And so if you are trying to think outside of the BO with your New Year's resolutions and you do want it to be mental health related, man, wouldn't it be nice to do something related to your frequency on social media and maybe some resolutions related to, like, hey, this year I am gonna set some hard parameters on how much time I'm gonna let myself be exposed to that daily or weekly or I don't want that to be the last thing that I look at before I shut my eyes for the night. You know, just something like that, like a, A small behavior change, but, you know, make it specific where you can actually do it. But.
But yeah, it's so crazy to think that someone could have a mental health related New Year's resolution that is social media based in terms of restriction or limitations with social media.
[00:22:35] Speaker C: Yeah.
This is interesting because this is before social media, but when I was a senior in college, I had a practicum. My undergrad degree was in pr and I had a wonderful practicum in the college of Engineering here at the University of Alabama. But this was before really the Internet. So, like, now we can Google alert, like, so if one of our instructors or professors or students, you know, were quoted in a news article or interviewed or something, it would alert us. But back in the day, if they didn't think to tell you, you didn't know unless you came across it from reading it yourself. One of my jobs was to get the newspaper, the Tuscaloosa News, the Birmingham News, all these newspapers, and read it from front to back for any mention of anything that had anything to do with any of our faculty or staff or alumni in the College of Engineering so that we could cut it out and use it for, like, promotion.
Like, hey, look, our, you know, one of our instructors was, you know, quoted in this article.
Okay.
Do you know how much depressing things are in a newspaper? I mean, I know newspapers are kind of, you know, gone now, but I noticed my mental health was declining and didn't know why.
I was so much more aware of everything that was going on in. It was so many, like, I mean, it's the news, so many sad stories.
And I remember saying something one day and my supervisor said, yeah, you might need to take a break from the newspapers. And I Just kind of looked at her and she's like, that was my job once before, too. She was like, you just get so down. She was like, I mean, it's like, I guess like being a. A police officer or a healthcare worker or something where you see just so, so much acutely aware of all the things. And I find that so interesting that that was the newspaper and then now everybody's doing it with social and electronic and Apple News and everything.
And it makes a lot of sense of why we don't know why we're so sad sometimes.
Why did you just get through reading?
Mm.
[00:25:02] Speaker B: I know. I think. And, you know, in social media, whether you're doing it intentionally or not, you know, it starts to pick up on the trend of articles or stories that you're reading. And so even if you're not manually opting in for certain things, it's like, oh, Nika or Sheena saw more than one.
You know, lingered on more than one news article in their algorithm for, you know, more than 15 seconds related to a. A crime related to, you know, child trafficking.
Well, let's just continue to. To feed that kind of content.
[00:25:41] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:25:41] Speaker B: In. In their feed.
[00:25:43] Speaker C: Right, right. So I think that's an easy.
Easier said than done, but a very easy, tangible thing that everybody can start with today is to say, okay, you know what, when my eyes start reading something that I'm like, is this going to depress me? Me? And does it really have anything to do with me? Is there anything I can really do anything about?
Keep swapping.
[00:26:04] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I think.
Yeah, just keep swiping. Just keep swiping. You know, just like, what is it?
[00:26:12] Speaker C: Just keep.
[00:26:13] Speaker B: Women. Yeah, just keep swimming now. Okay. I feel like that, obviously, that conversation about social media, mental health, it is still within our. Our topic of New Year's resolutions. We kind of. We. We went on a little detour with that, but I think that that was.
[00:26:30] Speaker C: I do think it's important.
[00:26:31] Speaker B: Yes. And y', all, again, we're coming up on a break. We. We took a deep dive with all of that, but in our next segment, we definitely want to. We want to talk about some factors related to, you know, why do resol. Resolutions.
Resolutions fail and what do we do to set ourselves up for success? So stay tuned, listeners. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:27:02] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:27:11] Speaker C: Happy Sunday, y'. All. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Shayna and Nneka on 90.7. The capstone.
[00:27:17] Speaker B: That's right. In this episode, we have been talking about New Year's resolutions, setting goals, all of the things.
Right before the break, we were specifically talking about how in 2026, it seems that a lot of Americans are focusing on resolutions related to their mental health. And then we had this big conversation about how social media has been playing a role in that. And then also, too, just as a culture, we have been more accepting and comfortable with the concept of being intentional with our mental health. And I, and I love that. And now I know that mental health related resolutions aren't the only thing that Americans are doing, you know, where there's always going to be the ones related to health and wellness and fitness and all that good stuff, as well as financial goals. But we know that there is quite the gamut of New Year's resolutions. But, Neeka, before we talk about how to make resolutions actually stick and work, let's talk a little bit about why they often don't work for people. Why it's, you know, on average, you have a lot of people that have already abandoned their New Year's resolutions by the second or third week of January.
[00:28:34] Speaker C: Right. There's some interesting research that talks about willpower. Willpower is very limited.
It's, it's not something necessarily that you build. That's called discipline. Yes, yes. And discipline works when you have a system. I mean, I love, love Nick Saban saying, you don't practice until you get it right. You practice until you don't get it wrong.
Right.
And I think sometimes our mind has made up what we want to have accomplished, but our behaviors, our lifestyle, our bodies, what, our, our routines, whatever, hasn't quite got there yet.
[00:29:19] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:29:20] Speaker C: And so when something lags behind, our mind goes, no, we've already decided that we were going to lose ten pounds by tomorrow. The body's like, give me a minute.
[00:29:30] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:30] Speaker C: You know, and then we get frustrate and we abandon it. Yes, we don't give ourselves enough time, but we also don't set up our environment, whatever that may be, if that is your schedule, if that is an actual physical environment, to give ourselves some time and grace, to get to the point where we're actually seeing change.
[00:29:52] Speaker B: And I think too, you know, whenever we are making those goals and say, we, you know, we're really diligent with adding some specificity to it so that there are parameters of how we're going to accomplish it. Sometimes we don't know until we've put those, those different things into practice for a Few days or a few weeks if it realistically works for our lifestyle. And so I think a lot of times people have that mentality of that go big or go home. And it's like, oh well if this didn't work then you know, this isn't going to work.
We can be so close minded to the thought, thought of, oh well, this actually isn't as feasible for my lifestyle. Let me make some adjustments.
You know, we still there, the end goal is still similar but we're gonna, we're gonna change the plan of action a little bit. I think people feel like resolutions have to be this absolute.
[00:30:47] Speaker C: Yeah. In that you kind of got to be tough, tough on yourself. Like no pain, no gain. Yeah. You know, you're gonna do a step forward, two steps back, that's fine. I mean I saw this all the time when I used to personal train.
It's not gonna happen overnight. You're going to quote, unquote, fall off. You know, the wagon of exercise. That's fine. Just don't abandon it completely.
Readjust, go back to the drawing board, redirect, you know, figure out something that is gonna work.
[00:31:21] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:31:23] Speaker C: But then I also see this a lot too. It's is, are you doing it to make somebody else happy or are you really wanting to make that change because it's super important to you.
Yes.
[00:31:38] Speaker B: And that, you know, that goes along with, you know, and we talk about this within our industry as, as far as like motivating factors of. Was it intrinsic or extrinsic? So yeah. Was it this external force that was providing that motivation? Because usually if it's external, that's very short lived. But if there's like this intrinsic, you know, what is your. Why that can be a driving force. And obviously motivation in and of itself can only go so long. And Nika, like you said, you've got to have that discipline there and just that basically that set mindset of like, okay, yeah, well here we go.
[00:32:17] Speaker C: And sometimes the discipline comes just by.
How am I going to say this? Am I making it sound weird but like maybe psychologically tricking yourself, if that makes sense.
So for instance, with my students, I was telling them today actually that a psychological trick for reviewing your notes more is if I give them skeleton notes.
And so there's some words and phrases and key terms missing on the notes I give them. They have to come to class to get them and then they have to go back and put it into their PowerPoint. Yeah. It forces them to look at those notes again until it becomes a You know, an everyday habit. And then all of a sudden, it's just part of their discipline in their life. And now they're disciplined to look at their notes every day. But it started out as kind of forced their hand. It was a little psychological trick.
[00:33:12] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:33:12] Speaker C: So when I say discipline, I don't mean like, like, do you have what it takes? I mean, do you. You know, I had a friend one time that wanted to get up every morning at 5:30. They just wanted to do it. And the only way they need to do it was to drink a huge bottle of water before they went to bed because their bladder forced them out of the bed in the morning.
That was the trick until it became routine. And it was considered like, okay, well, I'm disciplined enough now. I've done it enough where this is just part of my life. Right, right.
[00:33:42] Speaker B: It just, yeah. Automatic.
[00:33:43] Speaker C: Yeah. Sometimes you just have to trick yourself into it becoming a new habit.
[00:33:48] Speaker B: So for our listeners, Nika, that are, you know, they, they've been where I've been, where it's like, okay, I, you know, I, I have these goals, you know, I know what I want them to be related to, but how do I, you know, how do I create a plan or a structure to it? And, you know, and this is where smart goals come into play. Will you enlighten our listeners with what is a smart goal? Especially for those who that's the first time they've heard that acronym, and maybe this is our first time knowing. Oh, that's an acronym.
[00:34:17] Speaker C: Yeah, it's an acronym. So S in smart stands for specific.
So it's not, I want to lose weight. Because then when you get on the scale and you've lost half a pound and you are disappointed, technically I can say, but you lost weight.
But you're like, but that's not what I meant. Well, what did you mean? You wanted to lose £4, so you gotta be specific.
Like, it's not enough that I, hey, I wanna get rid of some of these toys in my house. It's, hey, I want to be able to see the floor of the playroom. Right?
[00:34:50] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:34:51] Speaker C: By spring break.
[00:34:52] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:34:53] Speaker C: You know, so I have the skull I'm working on every day. M means measurable.
So you wanna give our listeners an idea of, like, in the dietetic world, what measurable would be if. In a smart goal.
[00:35:06] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. So, you know, if somebody is, you know, talking about more. More eating more fruits and vegetables. Just the same with s. With, you know, being specific, measurable, we're. It's going to be something that you're going to be able to measure and know that you actually did it. You know, are there certain days of the week or a specific meal that you're wanting to eat? More fruits and vegetables and how many. Like, you're going to be able to measure that and you're going to be able to quantify that, where it's actually trackable.
[00:35:35] Speaker C: Yeah. So it's like, hard to data. Yeah. Like, there it is. Like, you know, there's no subjectiveness to it. It's like, I either ate 4 servings today or I didn't. Yeah.
So A is attainable. And Sheena, you mentioned this while ago when you're like, are your goals too lofty? Kind of like, do I want to lose £10 by tomorrow? Right.
[00:35:56] Speaker B: I mean, unless you're, you know, amputating off one of your arms.
[00:36:01] Speaker C: Yeah, it's not going to happen.
It's just like, think about saving money. You know, you're like, hey, I want to save $500 by Friday. Well, is that attainable?
[00:36:12] Speaker B: And it may be.
[00:36:13] Speaker C: I mean, you may have a side gig, you may be working extra shifts, but for some people it's like, well, maybe a couple months from now, you know, so is it attainable? Are you setting the goals to where you're just setting yourself up for failure because it's impossible for. For anyone to reach in that amount of time? Yes. And then R is relevant. Yeah.
[00:36:35] Speaker B: So you want the goal to be relevant to what you're actually wanting to achieve. You want it to be relevant to your lifestyle and what you're trying to accomplish. Because again, I think sometimes, you know, we make these goals and it's like, oh, is it actually really relevant to.
[00:36:51] Speaker C: Do I even really care? Yeah.
[00:36:53] Speaker B: Yeah. Because if it's not relevant to. To the things that are that matter to you as far as what you want to change, then you're not going to be motivated to doing it because.
[00:37:02] Speaker C: You'Re going to be like, why am I wasting my time on this? I didn't even really care.
And then you're going to abandon it. Yep. Yeah. And then t is. Is it time specific?
So give yourself grace, but also say, hey, no, it's. I mean, it's.
It's the same with anything we do in life. Like, hey, I got to get this grass mowed by Friday when we're going to have people over. Right. You know, so, you know, you're specific. I'm going to mow this grass. It's measurable. Is the grass mowed or not it's attainable. Yeah, I can do it. I have the time. I have the lawnmower. Is it relevant? Yeah, I care and it's time specific. I'm giving myself until Friday.
[00:37:46] Speaker B: Yeah, you are making it time bound where there, there is a deadline. And I, and I would say that as you're starting to think about your resolutions, maybe even think about it now in a way of planning to do quarterly check ins with yourself related to that goal or the realm of that goal. So I think it could always be that overarching theme of like, hey, this goal is related to my physical fitness or weight loss or whatever else. And then check in with that smart goal you've created every three months. And you know, and then that can be part of the, the, the time factor where it's like, okay, by March, like this, you know, and, and set some realistic attainable, you know, kind of little goals. Yes, little.
[00:38:36] Speaker C: Yeah, little mini miniature goals. To get to the big goal, you got to break it down. I mean, you don't walk a mile in three steps. No, you know, there's a lot of steps before you reach them out. There's going to be a lot of steps, a lot of days, a lot of, you know, doing things before you hit that big goal and you got to check in and how far have I come? Well, I wanted to walk a mile, you know, between here and March, and I've only went 10 steps.
Oh, okay. Maybe we need to think, is this even attainable? For me, when I say a mile, I don't really mean them all. I think our listeners know that. But it's like, you know, people are wanting to get ready for their class reunion or their wedding.
You don't need to come into the gym a month beforehand. Right. That's. You're gonna need to back that up a little bit more, you know, so that you can have some setbacks, you can have some days off, you can readjust, give yourself time.
[00:39:32] Speaker B: You really do, because time back into mental health, health, if you wait until the last minute, it is going to stress you out. And it could make you go on the total opposite of the spectrum with those behaviors where you're relapsing or digging yourself more into a hole with things. And I think, which I don't want to end a segment on, on a damper like that, but we do need to take a break. And so this is, these are some things to think about. You know, we're about to close out the show, but I feel like we've had some really great conversation on this.
[00:40:02] Speaker C: This. I, I've loved it.
[00:40:05] Speaker B: Well, y', all, with that said, y' all grab a drink of water, make a lap around the house or your bedroom, wherever you are. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:40:21] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloos.
[00:40:30] Speaker C: Hey, listeners, thanks so much for hanging with us today on Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And as we have talked about setting goals and New Year's resolutions on our first show back in 2026.
[00:40:44] Speaker B: That is right. And, you know, I think we've kind of talked and run the gamut when it comes to thinking about, you know, why do resolutions often fail? How do we set ourselves up for success?
You know, we talked about smart goals at the beginning of the show. Nika, you had talked about, you know, closing the loop on things, setting a timer, you know, and it's like, okay, like within this 20 minutes, like, what are all of these loose ends that I can just knock out and, and just be done with it?
And so I think in, in the spirit of productivity overall, is there anything else you would want to offer our listeners when it comes to just mindset about being or setting goals or new habits?
[00:41:29] Speaker C: Yes. So something that I read a long time ago that has stuck with me, like I think about it all the time, is because this, I think it is who I am when I wake up in the middle of night going, was that due today?
Or oh, no, don't, don't let me forget this. And so I read one time a therapist, I think, actually gave this piece of advice that we feel like it's unresolved issues or to do lists flowing through our brain.
And so it causes stress. And so they call that collect your thought residue.
Oh, isn't that interesting?
[00:42:12] Speaker B: Yeah, they've put a name to it.
[00:42:14] Speaker C: Yes. So it's kind of like your post it notes where you're sticking them all over your desk. Like, don't forget this, don't forget this, don't forget this. And so you're trying to keep those post it notes in your brain and you're juggling them and you're scared you're going to forget something and that causes stress.
So this therapist said, get a notebook and like, even if you're standing at the kitchen counter right before you turn off lights to go start your bedtime routine or do it in when you're in the bed or wherever you want to do it. But Every night, write down everything, big or small, that you don't want to forget to do things that you've been wanting to do things you want to look into, people you need to follow back up with. Whatever. Dump it all out.
Even if you think, well, I won't forget that. That seems stupid that I have to write. Take out the trash.
Put it all. Yeah, put it all down. Because what happens is subconsciously, if you go to wake up in the night, you think, oh, no, no, that's. That's in the notebook. I won't forget it. That's in the notebook. Like you're not babysitting that. You know, getting rid of the. You're cleaning it. It's like a. Cleaning the counter off.
[00:43:22] Speaker B: You're doing a brain dump.
[00:43:23] Speaker C: You're doing a brain dump. And that is supposed with your stress, but also with your sleep.
[00:43:29] Speaker B: Yes. Because I can't tell you how many times, Ana, I have no doubt you've felt this way too, where there was something I did not brain dump and then it infiltrated my dream.
[00:43:38] Speaker C: Yes, you dream about it. You incorporate it in your dream and you wake up and you're thinking subconsciously. I've been really worried about that. And it's something stupid like don't forget to put the, you know, the pipe protector on my outside pops before the freeze tomorrow. I mean, it's just something liquid little. But it'll be in your dreams and you'll kind of stress about it. Yeah, in your dreams.
[00:44:02] Speaker B: I know I would. There are so many other things I'd rather be dreaming about than doing a one on one with one of my team members and, you know, trying to make sure that we talked about XYZ health program. It's like, you know, like I could have just dumped that. But y'. All. Oh my gosh.
[00:44:18] Speaker C: What?
[00:44:19] Speaker B: Nika, always bringing the wisdom.
[00:44:21] Speaker C: Well, I just like to read other people who have. Have so much more wisdom than me. I'm just always wanting to read and, and be like, you know what? Let's try it, let's see. It could help somebody. Not everything's going to help everybody, but hopefully our listeners today were able to glean bits and pieces and some nuggets and tidbits that truly change things for the more positive for them.
[00:44:45] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:44:45] Speaker C: You know, I mean, just any little thing, it's just, it's life hacks is what it is.
[00:44:51] Speaker B: You know what, what I will say to help me stay on track, New Year's resolutions. And I will say specifically that the ones that the one of the things that I'm really trying to focus on is related to prioritizing sleep and setting some hardcore parameters there and some, some boundaries that I think will have a ripple effect into just me decreasing other types of behaviors that I do, like doom scrolling on social media before bed, all that kind of stuff. But I am going to commit myself through the rest of this spring semester to give some form of a report on that either at the beginning or the end of the show of whether or not I've done. Like, even if we, if I just say one sentence about it, it doesn't have to take up an entire segment. It could be 1 minute, 30 seconds maybe me just saying, you know, one quick report sentence. But that's what I'm going to do, my friend.
[00:45:42] Speaker C: Okay.
I love it. Look at you setting those smart measurements.
Attainable, yes. Relevant and time bound goals, man.
[00:45:52] Speaker B: And you know what? Y' all are gonna keep me accountable for sure. And I'm just so grateful, so grateful to be back with you Nika this semester and Roll Tide, my friend.
[00:46:02] Speaker C: Roll Tide. And thanks listeners for being along this, on this ride with us. We are so appreciative of you guys as well.
[00:46:09] Speaker B: With that note, you have been listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90 points at in the capstone.
[00:46:20] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
