A New Way to Make New Year's Resolutions

We’ve unwrapped the gifts and played with our new toys.  We’ve all eaten well and enjoyed many (maybe many, many) cocktails.  Soon, we’ll be celebrating the dawn of a new year and with that comes the annual resolutions list.  If you’re like the rest of us, you resolve to make positive changes in your life because THIS...IS..THE...YEAR to (fill in the blank).  And, for most people, we fill in the blank with and resolve to lose weight.

So many people don’t even make New Year’s resolutions – they consider them to be a waste of time.  Most people  will break resolutions their before the year is out (a third won’t even make it to the end of January).  But we’re convinced you can accomplish your goals!  Whether your goal is to lose weight, stop smoking, take better care of your finances, or to learn a foreign language, we know you can do it!  Check out these tips to help keep your New Year’s Resolutions!

1. Write It and Measure It

 Writing down goals is one of the best ways to accomplish them, and so is figuring out the exact steps needed to get there.  Be as specific as you can.

2. Make Resolutions Manageable

The key to keeping resolutions is to make changes smaller and more gradual. So if your goal is to go from never running at all to finishing a marathon, start training gradually.  Join a running club or download a beginner’s running app to help you train. There are some really great ones available that are created by expert marathoners! Search "Couch to 5K" or "Couch to Half Marathon" (you get the idea!)

3. Break Up the Goal

Instead of resolving to lose 80 pounds in 2015 (which can be an overwhelming thought), set a goal to lose 5 to 8 pounds a month.  If you do that for a year, you’ll reach your goal weight!  Ready to stop smoking?  Remove a few cigarettes each time you open a new pack.  Small victories lead to lasting results.

4. Treat Yo' Self!

Plan benchmarks to help you reach your goals...and then reward yourself when you do! Lost those first five founds?  Treat yourself to a facial.  Down to ten cigarettes a day?  Buy yourself to that pair of shoes!  Regular rewards can help you reach those milestones faster than you previously thought possible.

(***Side note from a trainer: Don't always "reward" yourself with food. We are not canines, therefore our successes should not always be some "treat" to eat. However, if it's something you are truly craving and believe will satisfy an urge- go for it! Deprivation can be a very slippery slope! ~A)

   
5. Ask for Help

Your family and friends want you to be successful in everything you do.  If you need your mother not to pack dessert in a “to go” bag after Sunday dinner, ask her not to.  Stopping smoking is harder than you thought?  Speak with your doctor.  You don’t have to go at any of this alone.  Get your cheerleader involved!

6. Keep a Schedule

Whether your resolution is becoming more fit, eating healthier, or paying closer attention to your finances, make time to attend to those activities.  Schedule your workouts like you would a doctor’s appointment.  Take time to make a weekly menu and plan what foods you’ll eat each day.  Make time once a month to review bank statements and other financial paperwork.  You must devote time to those things you want to succeed.

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

7. Don’t Be Afraid to Scale Back

Working out five days a week too much to begin with?  Cutting down to a few cigarettes a day not working out just yet?  Saving $100 a month is creating a cash flow situation.  No problem.  Just make a quick adjustment.  Work out three days a week until you can move up to your goal of five days a week.  Instead of cutting down to a few cigarettes a day, try not smoking the car and after meals.  Instead of saving $100 a month, save $50 a month.  Even with the adjustment, you are still working towards your goals!

8. Be Forgiving

We are human – not perfect.  Slipups will happen.  Laziness will overtake us.  We will lose enthusiasm for our resolutions.  The key is to remember why you made your resolutions and to get back on track.  No matter what, keep moving towards your goals and you will reach them!

9.  Don’t consider these Resolutions...resolutions

The word “resolution” makes it feel like if we don’t get started in January, then we can’t do (fill in the blank).  Instead, think of resolutions as a “Things to Do” list.  Make a list of things you’d like to accomplish in 2015, knowing that you can start on that list and work on it the whole year long.  Maybe that approach will relieve some of the pressure associated with New Year’s Resolutions.

10.  Relax.

You have a whole year to accomplish your goals.  You didn’t gain weight overnight.  You won’t lose the weight overnight.  You’ve been smoking for a while.  You’ll need some time to develop a new habit and lifestyle.  Success will happen.  Just relax and let the new habits settle in.

“If you try anything, if you try to lose weight, or to improve yourself, or to love, or to make the world a better place, you have already achieved something wonderful, before you even begin. Forget failure. If things don't work out the way you want, hold your head up high and be proud. And try again. And again. And again!” ― Sarah Dessen

> Happy New Year to you and your family!

~O