The two most common New Year’s resolutions are to stay fit and healthy, and to lose weight. These are excellent concepts, but they are immeasurable and ambiguous goals. In order to “lose weight” or “be healthier,” you need to have a plan in place, or at least have a clear objective (or objectives) to hit in the coming weeks or months. For example, maybe you want to run a 5k race in February or do 20 push-ups in a row within a month.
When you arrive at your deadline, you either did the work or you didn’t. Having a defined goal is a great place to start, but your success will depend on your determination and willingness to embrace change. You can have a plan, but you need to have multiple plans when you encounter roadblocks, because you cannot avoid them. Having plans to fall back on when you encounter these roadblocks can help you cross the finish line. Most importantly, achieving your goals leads to a conclusive outcome!
What can you do to ensure that you are part of the 8% of people that achieve their New Year’s resolutions? The following five tips aim to help you crush your health and wellness goals. Just remember to do the work and you will be rewarded with the results.
Determine Your “Why”
Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want to eat healthy? Determining your “why” is the first step to finding success in most areas in life. It can make all the difference when it comes to setting your goals and following through on them. When you keep your “why” at the forefront of everything you do, you will be able to make better decisions. Your “why” keeps you passionate, motivated, and focused, while helping you align with your values. Write down your “why” for each goal you set and place it somewhere you will see daily. Come back to it so that you know why you are losing weight, avoiding alcohol, or not eating meat.
Focus On One Thing At A Time
When you set too many goals at once, you will likely abandon them as the result of a burnout. Instead, set a few goals in the beginning and check them off your list as you go. Once you reach the initial goals you set, you can add new ones to your list. A great exercise to complete before the New Year is to write down the things you want to accomplish, big or small. Prioritize and select a few from that list to start. As the year goes on, check off goals as they are completed and then prioritize new goals.
Schedule It And Commit To Yourself
Nobody likes a flaky person because plans always fall through. Don’t commit to things that you aren’t going to show up for, even if you want to say yes to everything and everyone. Commitment to yourself should be the same as your commitment to a good friend. Every Sunday night, plan out your week and schedule the things you need to do to ensure you stick to the goals you set. If that means penciling in your yoga class, grocery shopping, meal prepping, or personal training, so be it!
Let Failures Become Your Teachers
Life is the best rollercoaster there is! It comes with many ups, downs, and turn-em-arounds, and there are lessons around every corner. When you stay the course as things get challenging, you only become stronger. Accept that there will be some bumps in the road on the way to achieving your New Year’s resolutions. When you fail, don’t abandon ship. Instead, ask yourself what happened and learn from your experience to do better the next time.
Reward Yourself
When you accomplish any goal, no matter how big or small, your belief in your abilities grows. Make sure to celebrate your victories, but in a way that doesn’t revolve around food. When you celebrate with food, you endorse bad behavior. Consider seeing a movie, taking a bubble bath, or scheduling a massage to reward your progress. When you reward yourself, you not only increase your motivation, but you also remind your brain that you’re thriving!
