Tips To Help You Reach Your New Year’s Resolutions
“New Year’s resolutions” and “better health” tend to go hand in hand. Whether the goal is get rid of unwanted weight, stop smoking, drink less, or choosing to eat healthier, many of changes people want to make are about living a healthy life. If you want to stick to your resolutions, there are a few key things you may want to do about two weeks before you are set to start.
Know your goals: Of course, your long-term or final goals are important? What are your short-term goals? Many people forget about short-term goals, which are essential to accomplishing your long-term goal. Losing 20 pounds in four months is a great long-term goal, but it can be daunting day after day.
Consider short-term goals for getting for losing those 20 pounds in four months. They can include eating two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables a day for the first few weeks. After those three weeks, you can add increasing cardio exercises by six minutes each session for the next four weeks. With shorter goals you are, in essence, chopping the long-term goal into smaller more achievable goals, thus increasing your chances of actually losing those 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: A journal is a good way to gauge what you are doing through your journey towards accomplishing your long-term goals. Write down your feelings as you accomplished your day-to-day tasks. Ask yourself is you encountered any pitfalls and determine how you can avoid them in the future. Write down thoughts about your goals or life in general, being as upbeat as you can when recounting your experiences. As your week ends, read your journal from the page one to the most recent date to help you start the coming week inspired and ready to go.
To remind yourself of your goals, get a calendar for the New Year, two index cards, a marker, and a pencil. The first thing you need to do is write down your long-term goal on the index cards with the marker. Pin or tape one card next to the calendar on the wall and the other card on mirror in your bathroom.
On your calendar, write down the date that you want to accomplish the goal by and circle that date with a marker. Next take the pencil and jot the short-term goals on the calendar and circle those dates as well. You also want to write down all the basic daily things you will do (details of workout session, meal plans, water amounts, etc.), to reach your long-term goal in whatever organizer, notebook, etc., you use to write down 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.
