92% of all New Year resolutions fail. We all have good intentions at the start of the year, but most of us don’t follow through with our resolutions. I know I have been there and I want to help you be a part of that 8% who actually succeed in their goals. Based on my own experiences, my recommendation is that you start out by making small changes. You could go all in and do a complete 360 from your current habits today, but for most people that is very hard to sustain long term. Here a few tips to make sure your health related goals stick with you for the duration of 2015.
Set yourself up NOT to fail
It typically takes 21 days to create a habit. Knowing this little fact, you can set your goals to become habitual over a short amount of time – in fact, a mere three weeks. Going to the gym, eating healthy meals and other health related goals all take time and can be planned for, giving you reason to accomplish even your most lofty goals.
Create intention and follow through
About half way through those three weeks, you will feel what may seem like an uncontrollable force guiding you to give up! Creating your intention (aka finding your “why”) at the very beginning can help you get through this feeling and bring on the good habits you are attempting to set.
Try this exercise:
Ask yourself: Why do you want to be healthy? Write yourself a letter giving all the reasons that you set your goal in the first place.
Really take some time to think about this and make sure you are in a quiet space. Take a couple of deep breaths in and out and set the mood with candles and music to put you in the right frame of mind. When you are finished place your list where you can read it at the start and end of every day. This will serve as a continuous motivation to get you through the first 21 days.
Tracking your goals
Writing down your goals and tracking your progress is the best way to ensure you stay on track. There will be days where you might slip up just like I did over the holidays. We are all human and mess up the important thing is to acknowledge it and do better the next time. For instance, if you end up eating foods you know won’t get you closer to your goal, don’t sweat it and just choose better the next time. You don’t have to abandon your goal all together because you feel like you failed.
There will be bumps in the road, but you keep your “why” in mind and continue the journey. There are even websites and apps available to help you establish these habits! I really like MyNetDiary, but there are others such as Lose It, My Fitness Pal, CRON-O-Meter and many others. I actually use an app and the ole’ pen and paper!
Stay tuned for my next post where I include ideas for common New Year’s resolutions, which includes developing healthy eating habits, an exercise routine and how to naturally detox with no gimmicks or pills.
How are you going to keep your resolutions this year? Share your comments below or tweet @alisonbrehme
Image credit: m01229 via Flickr