Step by step guide to resolutions
Happy New Year! Here’s your chance to revisit goals you may not have achieved last year. The flip of the calendar year offers a space to adopt new habits and tweak old habits. We’ve created a guide on how to find success with your New Year’s Resolutions:
- Dream Big! Whether it’s competing in a marathon or triathlon or losing 50 pounds to fit into your favorite clothing, your ambition will inspire others. They may even train with you or take over your tasks, freeing up your time to pursue your goal.
- Break It Down into Small Steps: Now, you’re going to break down that big goal into small goals. Give yourself small, easy victories. When you make your to do list, the first item can be “make my to do list” = check!
- Explore the Reasons You Don’t Want to Change: Bad habits deliver payoffs. Junk food tastes good, and eating helps us feel grounded. If you can deliver a payoff for a healthy behavior, your unhealthy behaviors will face competition. Listen to your favorite music exclusively when you train for the marathon. Set yourself up for success by piggybacking new habits on top of current habits. If you drink coffee in the morning, couple that cup of coffee with a protein. Eating protein within 30 minutes of waking up increases your chances at weight loss.
- Commit to Your Goal: Add accountability by making a written or verbal promise to people you don’t want to let down. Seek out like-minded people with similar goals online. Then, cut down resistance by automating your behaviors. Set reminders on your phone and sleep in your workout clothing if you have to.
- Reward Yourself: Each time you reach one of your small goals from step 2, reward yourself. Watch your guilty pleasure television show or blast your favorite song. Acknowledge incremental progress. If you can incorporate support and encouragement from your online group, all the better.
- Failures are Lessons: If something’s not working, use that “failure” to adjust course. If 30 minutes of exercise is too big of a commitment for the morning, start with 10 minutes of exercise three times a day. Skip straight to watching your guilty pleasure if it helps you stay on the treadmill.
- Gratitude: Give thanks for working out for only 10 minutes on a busy day. Progress not perfection. Any exercise has benefits. Each step forward is progress.