Sticking to your New Year’s Resolutions to Get Healthy
“New Year’s resolutions” is almost identical to “better health.” Whether it’s to lose weight, stop smoking, drink less, or eat healthier, many of changes people desire to make are in reference to living a healthier life. If you want to stick to your resolutions, there are a few key things you may want to do approximately two weeks before you are set to start.
Know your goals: Long-term or final goals are essential; but what about your short-term goals? People tend to forget about short-term goals, which are necessary in order to accomplish long-term goals. Getting rid of 20 pounds in four months is a smart long-term goal, but it can be overwhelming to consider that day after day tasks to get to lose the weight.
To help you lose those 20 pounds in for months, you may want to think about using short-term goals to help you get the job done. This can be something like eating more servings of fruit and vegetables per day for the first few weeks. After those three weeks, you can think about doing something like increasing cardio exercises by a specific amount of minutes each session for the next four weeks. By developing shorter goals you are able to chop your long-term goal into smaller more attainable goals. As a result you increase your chances of actually getting rid of those unwanted 20 pounds.
Know your weaknesses: If something near you has even a small chance of keeping you from attaining your short or long-term goal, get rid of it. Throw it away, relocate it to another person’s home, or drive an alternate route (if it’s a store/restaurant) to avoid it altogether. Don’t bother trying to see how strong you are by tempting yourself. It’s easier to admit your faults and keep them as far away from you as possible!
Substitute your weakness with something that will make you stronger. For example, buy some flowers, instead of your favorite fattening treat. Put them all around your house as a reminded of how good you are doing at reaching the long-term goal.
Get a support system: A support system is a good way to stay motivated because you will not want to let the people down who are holding you accountable. Enlist family members, friends, or even an internet health site as a part of your support system.
Keep a journal: Remind yourself of what you’ve done throughout your journey of your short-term and long-term goals. How did you feel when you accomplished your daily tasks? What pitfalls did you encounter and how can you avoid those the next time? Write down thoughts you have about your goals or life in general and try to be as positive as you can when recounting your experiences. Read your journal from the first page to the current date at the end of each week to help you start the coming week on geared up and ready to go.
A good way to remind yourself of your goals is to get a calendar for the New Year, two index cards, a marker, and a pencil. The first thing you should do is write your long-term goal on the index cards with the marker. Next, pin or tape one card next to the calendar on the wall and the other card on the bathroom mirror.
On your calendar, write your long-term goal on the date you wish to accomplish it and circle the date with the marker. With your pencil, write the short-term goals on your calendar, circling those dates as well. Also, write down the specific day-to-day things you’re going to do (i.e. details of your workout session, meal plans, water amounts, etc.) that are the basic foundation for your long-term goal in your planner, Blackberry, or whatever you use daily to log in your important dates.
Applying these tips will help you reach your goals towards living a healthier life! Be sure to celebrate all your successes, big or small, and if you mess up a little, don’t give up. Get back on the road again.