How to make the most of your New Year’s Resolutions!
Loving Yourself
Whether it’s the expression “New Year, New Me” or a traditional list of resolutions, we all tend to be introspective at the beginning of each new year. Some of us may want to lose weight, others may wish for better skin or to have a bigger savings account by the end of the year. A recent study showed that over 70% of American Women have some kind of fitness or weight loss goal in January, but almost 85% of these same women have given up or quit their goal by the end of February. Why? Because as a culture we don’t go in for realistic goals – we tend to “go big or go home” which leads to a cycle of disappointment and failure to achieve our goals.
Some helpful suggestions for making your resolutions stick are to keep them very realistic, in other words if you think you need to lose 40 pounds, don’t plan to lose it by the end of January. There are many apps out on the market today that can help you figure out a reasonable weight loss goal and time-frame. (My personal favorite is my fitness pal by Under Armour) Dedicate yourself to making changes that you can stick to. If your favorite meal is breakfast and you routinely enjoy eggs and bacon, don’t plan on immediately turning breakfast into a flavor free oatmeal festival. Try changing your diet slowly but also by making effective trades rather than trying to become a vegan overnight.
The keys are to make your goals REAL:
Realistic – figure out what works for you and don’t try to fix everything in one week
Enticing – pick problems you are committed to fixing, so you will be dedicated
Achievable – give yourself short term goals to help keep your motivation up
Long Term – make sure your goals work in the long term, so you can stick with your changes
The most important thing to remember is not to be too hard on yourself – small steps that lead to big gains are the way to go!
