January Newsletter: New Year’s Resolution Tips

New Year’s Resolutions You Can Keep!

With the new year beginning, many people have already started making their resolutions. Many of these resolutions are such an extreme change from their normal life that they’re almost impossible to consistently keep. These are a few hints to help make more  reasonable resolutions and how to make sure you follow through on those resolutions!

1. Start small – Only make resolutions that you can keep. If you haven’t been working out lately and you want to start moving more, don’t make a resolution of going to the gym 7 days a week. Instead, commit to two or three days a week when you know you can make the time. Or, if you want to eat healthier, don’t  plan on an extreme diet that takes away all of the foods you love and also takes more time to make. As an alternative, choose one thing to improve in your diet. Try eating at least 2 servings of vegetables a day, or instead of desert, find a healthier replacement.
2. Get support – Sticking to a New Year’s resolution is a lot easier when you have someone else doing it with you or there’s another person to hold you accountable. Find a friend or family member that is striving for a similar goal as you and help each other out!
3. Focus on one resolution at a time – Remember, these resolutions are for a whole year, so you have that year to slowly integrate them into your life. If you have a long list, try focusing on one resolution a month. Once a resolution becomes more of a habit, it won’t be so hard to follow, and your brain will be better able to concentrate on the next resolution.
4. Make your goals extremely specific – Setting goals such as “get in shape” or “eat healthier” aren’t very good goals. They leave a wide room for interpretation and you don’t have a set point that you can strive for. Instead, set goals like “lose 10 pounds” or “drink only one pop a week”. These goals are attainable and you can be proud of yourself for reaching it!