So who is with me when they say they’re making a New Year’s Resolution? More than likely at some time in your life you’ve made a New Year’s resolution — and then broken it.
The fact is that only one in 10 of us will permanently achieve our goal!
2016 is the year to stick to your resolution! You will have a much better year if your resolution sticks. Here are 8 tips to help you get started.
1. Be Realistic
The most common way to not reach your goal is to make your goal unattainable such as giving up your favourite food or planning to run a marathon in a week when you have never even jogged before. Try not to set yourself up to fail. The best way to reach success is to strive for a goal that is attainable, such as cutting back on that unhealthy food or aim to run a realistic distance in a realistic time period.
2. Take baby steps
Don’t begin with a 700 calorie a day diet or 3 hours in the gym 5 days a week. Start small and keep your end goal in focus at all times. Maybe just choose healthier options at dinner time or cutting out that second latte of the day at the beginning.
3. Plan to deal with the bumps
How are you going to deal with the bumps? “I’d love a Domino's”. You need to decide how you will deal with the temptation to skip that exercise class or order that domino's. If you feel like skipping a workout, maybe have a training partner that you can call and lean on for support.
4. Make a ‘Pros’ and ‘Cons’ List
If you list the pros and cons to your resolution on paper, it may help to keep your motivation strong. Add to this list over time and you could also ask others to contribute to it to get a different point of view on the pros of sticking to your resolution. Make sure to refer to this list when you feel like giving in.
5. Have a support group
Don’t keep it a secret. Talk to your friends and family about what your goals are so that they can be there to offer their support. An ideal situation would be if you could get a buddy who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivate each other.
6. Track Your Progress
Keep track of each small success. It’s much easier to keep short-term goals and each small accomplishment will help keep you motivated. Instead of focusing on losing 30 pounds, focus on losing the first five. Try keep a food journal or download an app such as ‘My Fitness Pal’ to help you stay on track. You should also reward yourself for each small success, even if it’s only buying yourself new gym pants.
7. Stick to It
Experts say it takes about 66 days for a new activity to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality. So after the 66 days your body should stop craving all those nasty processed foods once they are out of your system. It won’t happen overnight, so be persistent and patient!
8. Try harder
If at first you don’t succeed… Try Harder! Take it day by day, hour by hour if necessary, but keep trying. If you give up, just start again! Recommit yourself for 24 hours. The 24-hour increments will soon build on each other and, before you know it, you will be back on track.
Sources:
mirror.co.uk
huffingtonpost.com
