Ah, January…its that time of year for resolutions. I have a love/hate relationship with new years resolutions. Millions of people set good intentions of getting healthy, and I LOVE that! The gyms are packed and people take interest in cleaning up their diets. But why do people wait until January 1 to start making moves and taking control of their health? And why do resolutions never stick?
According to some stats on last year’s resolutions, “weight loss” topped the list (as it always does). In fact, 38% of people had some sort of weight loss goal on their list. And to top it off, 25% of resolutions failed within just one week. That’s pretty bad…
Maybe were setting the wrong kind of expectations for ourselves. Or, we just don’t have a good plan to be successful. Want to make your resolutions stick? Read on, friends.
Consider these 3 things to make your resolutions stick this year:
1. Set SMART goals.
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound.
Think about setting short term and longer term goals. Its easy to get overwhelmed by the “end goal” and lose focus on the opportunity for day-to-day wins. You will also need action steps. What steps are you going to take to reach these goals?
Here’s an example:
Long term goal: I want to increase my exercise.
SMART short term goal: I will hit the gym for at least 30 minutes 3 times each week for a month.
Action Steps: 1. Sign up for exercise classes ahead of time and put them on my schedule. 2. Pack gym clothes the night before.
2. Reward or Revamp.
Many times we lose interest in our resolutions because there’s no immediate or tangible reward. Did you reach your short term goal? Celebrate! What is rewarding to you? A massage? Treating yourself to a night out at that new restaurant? A new workout outfit or shoes (that’s my motivation right there)?
Didn’t reach your goal? Assess the situation. Was it too drastic or unrealistic? Do the action steps need to be changed? If the answer is yes, revamp them. If not, try at it again! It can definitely take time and practice to break and make new habits.
3. Every meal or snack is a NEW opportunity to make a good choice.
Looking to clean up your diet but started off the day with donuts in the break room? Doesn’t mean lunch is a lost cause, or those dreaded words “I’ll be good starting Monday” ever need to be spoken. I was talking with a client about this topic, and she provided a pretty good analogy: “slipping up on a meal is like finding out you have a flat tire and stabbing your 3 remaining tires.” Hopefully no one would do that, but you get the point.
Wishing you all a happy & healthy New Years! Talk to you soon.
