Setting Resolutions You Can Keep

Tomorrow is New Years Eve! Can you believe 2014 is nearly over?! With a new year comes new possibilities…a chance to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. Have you decided what resolution you are going to set out to accomplish in the upcoming year? By this point I imagine you have at least given it some thought. Is it something you’ve tried for multiple times in the past but just could never quite attain? Maybe its something brand spanking new. Whether old or new, its likely going to the made with the intention of bettering yourself. The problem is that resolutions are often made too broadly with no clear definition as to how they will be accomplished, resulting in them falling flat before the year is even halfway over. Those who have ever been the member of a gym are very familiar with the surge that happens after the New Year as people flock to the gym to accomplish their resolution of “getting in shape” or “losing weight.” As weeks progress, however, the numbers begin to dwindle and within only a few short months the gym seems to be back to its normal volume. This happens because people either lose sight of their goals and why they set them in the first place, their goals were set too high or there was not a clear enough plan in place to keep them on track.

Below are some guidelines to help set resolutions that you can actually keep (and have you bragging to all your friends at the end of the year that you did).

Set goals you are bound and determined to accomplish
There is no point in setting goals that you aren’t fully invested in. If you aren’t ready to do what it takes to commit, then you are better off choosing something else that you are more likely to achieve.

Define it clearly
You need to define what it is exactly that you are going to accomplish. Instead of setting a vague resolution that you will “lose weight,” be specific by setting a goal of losing 5 pounds.

Make it reasonable
Don’t set unobtainable goals. Be reasonable with yourself if you want to set a goal that is going to stick. You may want to lose more than 5 pounds but if you have been having a hard time losing weight, setting a weight loss goal of 5 pounds makes it more attainable. If you lose more weight in the process then that is fantastic but it is far easier to strive for something that you can reasonably achieve then to get overwhelmed and quit working towards a goal that feels impossible to reach.

Devise a long term plan
Planning to lose 5 pounds? Set a target date of 6 months and plan to keep it off for the remainder of the year. Planning to exercise a minimum of three days a week? Determine how this will fit into your current routine before the year even starts so you already have time set aside in your schedule. Devise a backup plan so you know how to handle deviations in the road and how to handle events like vacations and holidays. Limiting eating out to one lunch and dinner per week? Make a plan as to what days you will go grocery shopping and what days you will be cooking (including time to be allotted for prep-work).

Good luck as you prepare for the New Year! I hope you were able to do everything you wanted to do in 2014 and that you get all that your heart desires in 2015.

xo, Erica