As we all know, the most common New Year’s resolutions are often a combination of getting fit, losing weight, drinking less alcohol, eating more healthy foods and/or managing stress.
During the first two weeks of the New Year, you tend to go along enthusiastically. Come February, you’ve begun to backslide. By the following December, you’re right back to your old poor habits and oftentimes even worse.
Making a resolution is the first step. You must have a plan accompanied with a healthy dose of diligence if you truly intend to succeed. Habits and behaviors can be quite difficult to change. Change doesn’t happen overnight. Having a well thought out plan in terms of how you intend to make these changes fit into your lifestyle will support your New Year’s resolution.
Here are three simple steps to use to help you stay on course.
1. Make it modest
Instead of setting one large overwhelming goal, shoot for several smaller attainable goals throughout the course of your year. The lifestyle change is important. Taking small steps to work toward this change is equally important.
2. Make it tangible
If you can’t measure the results of your goal setting, you haven’t made your goals realistic. Ambiguous goals give way to ambiguous results. Saying that you want to lose weight is too vague. Think about what it is exactly that you want to achieve. Do you want to lose weight or inches? Write down what it is that you want to achieve in realistic terms. Something tangible could be as simple as attending a spin class 3-4 times per week and giving up potato chips and soda. You can track and measure your progress toward that goal.
3. Make it clear
Share your resolutions with your friends and family. Public sharing will motivate you to stick to your own resolutions and those around you will hopefully want to encourage you (and maybe set their own goals)!
And lastly, above all else , keep believing you can do it!
Here’s to a happy and healthy 2014!
Tracy Springs is a fitness instructor at LA Fitness. Feel free to contact her at [email protected] with any questions or to set up a fitness appointment at the LA Fitness Waukegan facility
