Finding Your "Why": The Push & Pull of Real Change

Ever feel like you’re stuck in a tug-of-war with your own goals? One day you’re motivated to meal prep, and the next, your old habits are dragging you back to the couch.

Real change isn't just about willpower; it’s about understanding the forces that influence every decision we make. At Body By Hannah, we use the Push-Pull-Habit-Anxiety framework to help you navigate these shifts.

A Practical Scenario: The "Early Bird" Workout

Let's look at Sarah, a client who wants to switch from evening workouts to a 6:00 AM routine. Here is how she breaks down her transition:

• The Push: Sarah is tired of being too exhausted after work to give her training 100%. The "unworkable" part of her old routine is the constant "I'll do it tomorrow" cycle.

• The Pull: She is drawn to the idea of having her evenings free for family and the "win" of finishing her workout before the sun is up.

• The Habit: To make this work, Sarah has to change her late night scrolling habit to support an earlier wake-up call.

• The Anxiety: She worries she’ll be too tired to function at work or that she'll fail and feel discouraged. She has questions about whether her body can even handle heavy lifting that early.

Break Through Your Barriers

By identifying these four areas, Sarah can plan for the "Anxiety" and "Habits" instead of letting them surprise her. Whether you are looking to revamp your nutrition or finally stay consistent in the gym, you need to know what is actually driving you—and what is holding you back. We want to help.

Download our Push-Pull-Habit-Anxiety Worksheet below to map out your own path to success.

Download the Worksheet Here

A Different Way to Think About New Year’s Resolutions

As we approach a new year, conversations around New Year’s resolutions start popping up everywhere—what we’re going to quit, cut out, restrict, or finally “get under control.” This was the conversation I started having with my husband as we boarded our holiday flight this week.

And while reflection is valuable, I want to offer a slightly different perspective as you think about 2026.

If you choose to make a resolution this year, I believe it can be far more powerful and far more sustainable, to focus on something you want to ADD, rather than something you want to eliminate.

Why Adding > Eliminating

Elimination-based resolutions often come from a place of frustration or self-criticism:

• “I need to stop being inconsistent.”

• “I need to quit sugar.”

• “I need to stop missing workouts.”

These goals aren’t wrong, but they can feel heavy and hard to sustain. When we focus only on what we’re trying to remove, we don’t always give ourselves a clear path forward and personally, this approach has always made me want to rebel! Maybe a personality trait?

Addition-based intentions, on the other hand, are rooted in growth and support:

• Adding movement that feels good

• Adding structure to your week

• Adding moments of care, fuel, or recovery

Instead of asking “What’s wrong with me?”, we ask:
“What would support the version of me I’m becoming?”

The Power of Action-Based Intentions

One of the biggest reasons resolutions fail is that they’re too broad or elusive:

• “Get healthier”

• “Be more consistent”

• “Take better care of myself”

Good intentions—but hard to act on.

For an intention or habit to actually stick, it needs to be:

• Specific

• Actionable

• Repeatable

If you can’t clearly answer “What does this look like on a random Tuesday?”, it’s probably too vague.

How to Create a Habit That Actually Sticks

Here’s a simple framework you can use when setting an intention for 2026:

1. Choose One Thing to ADD

Ask yourself:

• What would make my days feel more supported?

• What’s one small behavior that would positively impact my energy, consistency, or mindset?

Examples:

• Add two strength sessions per week. Figure out what days and times that would be possible.

• Add a 10-minute walk after dinner

• Add 30 grams of protein to breakfast.

• Add a consistent bedtime routine

2. Anchor It to an Existing Routine

Habits stick best when they’re attached to something you already do.

Instead of:
“I’ll stretch more.”

Try:
“After I brush my teeth at night, I’ll stretch for 5 minutes.”

Instead of:
“I’ll move more.”

Try:
“On Mondays and Thursdays, I’ll attend class or complete my workout.”

3. Keep It Intentionally Small

You don’t need a complete life overhaul on January 1st.

Small actions done consistently > big actions done occasionally. One of my clients shared with me that her 2025 resolution was to make her bed every morning. A small task that really had a huge mental impact on her over the year. She was able to stick to this new habit and feels great about her accomplishment!

If it feels almost too easy, you’re probably doing it right.

4. Measure by Follow-Through, Not Perfection

Success isn’t:

• Never missing a workout

• Eating “perfectly”

• Staying motivated all year

Success is:

• Returning after a missed day

• Keeping promises you made to yourself more often than not

• Building trust in your own consistency

A Gentle Reminder as You Enter 2026

You don’t need to become a new person this year.
You don’t need to “fix” yourself.

You might just need to add one supportive habit that makes showing up feel more doable.

At Body By Hannah, we believe progress is built through intentional action, consistency over intensity, and habits that fit into real life—not against it.

If you choose a resolution for 2026, let it be something that adds strength, structure, or care to your life. And remember—you don’t have to do it alone. 💛

Consistently Good

My tennis coach told me recently that it looked like one of my biggest hurdles I needed to get over is not letting one bad shot ruin the next 5-10 minutes of my game. The inability to leave the mistake behind and stay present in the now, is costing me the match. Why in the world should I expect to be perfect in every moment of every game. That’s unrealistic, right? In the two-plus decades of his professional career, tennis legend, Roger Federer won nearly 80% of his matches. But when broken down by point by point, his percentage of wins drops down to 54%. One of the greatest tennis players in history won barely more than half of the points he played. It appears that being consistently good can be a roadmap for success.

Consistently good vs. perfect

Do we expect too much from ourselves? When we aren’t perfect, is it too easy to throw in the towel and give up? Do we believe that we can actually achieve great things simply by being consistently good?! No one wants to be mediocre at something, but maybe being mediocre over time is actually the best thing for us.

Achieving any goal will require facing challenges, having setbacks, and moments of self-doubt. It’s unrealistic to expect perfection every single day. Learning to be consistently good is the most effective strategy for ultimately reaching your goals.

Why consistently good is a better strategy for reaching our goals:

1. Reduces Pressure: Striving for perfection can create immense pressure and stress. By aiming to be consistently good, you allow yourself room to grow and make mistakes without feeling like a failure.

2. Builds Sustainable Habits: Perfection is often unsustainable, leading to burnout. Consistency fosters habits that are realistic and maintainable over the long term.

3. Encourages Progress Over Perfection: Small, regular improvements accumulate over time, leading to significant progress. Consistently good efforts compound into success more reliably than sporadic attempts at perfection.

4. Increases Enjoyment: When the pressure to be perfect is removed, the process becomes more enjoyable. This enjoyment can motivate you to stick with your habits and goals.

5. Promotes Learning and Adaptation: Mistakes and imperfections are valuable learning opportunities. Consistent effort allows you to adapt and improve, while perfectionism often leads to stagnation.

So how do we establish consistency:

1. Set Realistic Goals: Break your larger goal into smaller, achievable tasks. This makes it easier to maintain consistency and measure progress without the burden of perfection.

2. Be Flexible!: Develop a daily or weekly schedule that incorporates time for working on your goal. A flexible routine helps you adapt to life's unpredictabilities while staying consistent. You may need to modify the task or pivot and do something different.

3. Use Reminders and Tools: Utilize calendars, apps, or alarms to remind you of your tasks. Tools like habit trackers can help visualize your progress and keep you motivated. This is what we love about our BBH Fit Coaching App!

4. Stay Accountable: Share your goals with friends, family, or a mentor. Our BBH clients know better than anyone that their weekly training sessions with their trainers help them best stay accountable and provide much needed encouragement.

5. Start Small and Grow: Begin with small, achievable tasks to build momentum. Gradually increase the difficulty or time commitment as you become more consistent.

6. Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize and celebrate your progress, no matter how minor. This positive reinforcement encourages continued effort and consistency.

Takeaway:

Embrace imperfection. Accept that mistakes are part of the journey. Notice them. and have a plan for moving forward. Consistently good rather than perfect is a mindset that reduces pressure, builds sustainable habits, and fosters progress. By establishing consistently good habits and following through with the next steps, you can reach your goals and even surpass them. Embrace the power of consistent goodness, and watch as it propels you toward success in every endeavor.

The Compulsive Entrepreneur

My self-employed dad operated his own publishing company, Friends Publishers. The Pamlico Scoop was his self-published human interest newspaper that circulated across eastern NC. Selling advertisements to pay for publishing and himself, he seemingly made just enough money to scrounge by and rarely had a little extra to spare. Dad’s self employed status gave him a flexible schedule which was good because he was also the only parent who drove. My mom refused to drive so it meant that my dad was the only chauffeur to seven other family members. His schedule became a bit more restricted around monthly deadlines. He would lock himself in his office, ask not to be bothered, and crank out the design, layout, and everything else it took to publish the next edition. He’d then send the pages off to the printer and spent the week post-print making drops at grocery stores, gas stations and businesses from Elizabeth City on down to New Bern.

Although a pauper entrepreneur, my dad’s entrepreneurial lifestyle obviously made its’ impact. The apple wouldn’t fall far from the tree. Over time, I would discover that I was a compulsive entrepreneur. 

At 12, I wasn’t old enough yet to get a job so I needed to figure out a way to make money if I wanted to buy new clothes or go on field trips with my friends. Earning an allowance from my parents wasn’t an option. A lemonade stand became my very first business venture.

My childhood home stood on one of the busiest street corners in little Washington. It was prime location to set up shop with the best lemonade stand in town. My sisters and I promoted the stand with plenty of signs and word of mouth. We were excited to make a couple hundred dollars that summer selling lemonade in two different sizes and then expanding our offerings from just lemonade to a few baked goods as well. When summer ended, I traded in that business venture for one I could work year round. I cleaned houses and babysat and when I was finally legal working age, I got a job at my best friend's family’s dry cleaners. 

Fast forward to adulthood. I created three business all before turning 27- Broadway Babysitters Inc, a babysitting agency, Body By Hannah, LLC, my personal training business and Gotham Versatile Training Inc., a community of independent trainers and trainees and fitness facility management. All three businesses were successes.

I’ve described my entrepreneurial style as “jump into the deep end and figure out how to stay afloat”. And that’s still true to some extent. But, If I could go back, I wouldn't do things the same way. Although I learned by doing, I could have saved myself a lot of headache and heartache by seeking out mentors, finding the right resources earlier on, and hiring help I should have hired. 

The entrepreneurship blog series ahead will explore some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way and share the struggles I still face as a business owner. The successes, the failures, and the jaw dropping stories in between will hopefully help other entrepreneurs find their way a little bit easier and find incredible success of their own. 

If you’re thinking about starting a business or have started a small business and wish to grow, subscribe here to get exclusive content I’ll be sharing only to those interested! I’m not trying to spam those totally uninterested in this topic!

The story behind my first business, Broadway Babysitters Inc., coming soon!!……