RESOLVE TO KEEP YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: 4 EASY TIPS

Resolve to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: 4 Easy Tips
By Natalie Rizzo

It’s that time of year when everyone is making resolutions to lose weight and get in shape.  Most resolutions start with optimism and determination, but they are inevitably put aside after about a month.  Why is this such a common occurrence every year?  Is it because losing weight is just too difficult?  Maybe life just gets in the way of getting in shape?  Motivation probably wanes once the pounds don’t immediately melt away.  There is not one answer to why resolutions are so hard to stick to; giving up on resolutions probably happens for a variety of reasons.  Anyone who has tried and failed to lose weight or get in shape has probably read many tips and tricks to ease the process.  Tips such as: “Bring a buddy with you to the gym”, “Use apps on your phones to track your calories”, and “Cut out all white foods”.  While these tips are valuable, they clearly aren’t working for most people.  In this blog, I hope to provide you with some unique ways to stay on track with your New Years Resolution to lose weight or get healthy.  These tips are easy to implement and may be things you have never thought of or tried in the past.

1) Make time for your health.  I often hear people say that they “don’t have time to work out” or “don’t have time to cook”.  I doubt there is anyone who doesn’t have 20-30 minutes free in an entire day.  Think about where your time goes throughout the day. How long do you spend on social media sites?  How many hours do you watch TV? Perhaps you take a 30-minute coffee break at work?  People often cite these activities as de-stressing agents, but I guarantee that exercise and healthy eating will significantly decrease your stress level.  If you are absolutely convinced that you do not have time for health now, then you will no choice but to make time in the future when your unhealthy habits cause health problems.  It’s easier to spend 30 minutes/day focusing on health now then dedicating ALL of your time to health problems 10 years from now. You only live once.  Choose to live a healthy life and avoid the health problems that you can control.

2) Set a goal that is realistic, measurable, and VERY small.  Most people think that they can turn their diet and exercise habits around in one day, but to actually do so is unrealistic.  The date on the calendar may read January 1, but that doesn’t mean that you will stop craving ice cream after dinner or enjoy running for an hour on a treadmill.  The best way to start a diet or exercise routine is with a realistic, measurable, small goal.  I suggest that this goal should not include a number on the scale.  It’s best not to focus on the result, but on the actions that will lead to said result. This may seem counterintuitive if your goal is to lose weight, but I’ll give a few examples to demonstrate my point.

Ex 1: Your resolution is to lose weight and you will achieve this by going to the gym 5x/week for 1 hour each visit.

It’s great to have a measurable goal, but the amount of time and effort that must be dedicated to this resolution may be unachievable at first.  Five times a week may work for the first week when motivation is at its peak, but then a company dinner or a friends birthday party might pop up the second week causing your gym time to drop to 3x in week two.  This may cause you to become discouraged or lose hope in your resolution.  Start smaller to avoid these feelings.  Set a goal to go to the gym 2x/week for 30 minutes each visit for the first two weeks.  Add 1 day or an extra 10 minutes to your routine every two weeks, and your resolution will suddenly become a habit without you even noticing.  Inevitably, you will feel stronger, healthier, and drop a few pounds.
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Ex 2:  Your resolution is to lose weight by eating only lean meats, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

That’s a great goal action goal to work up to, but it’s very difficult to change that much of your diet all at once. Once again, it’s better to start small.  If you are the type of person whose regular diet only includes a few of those items, then start by changing one of your meals.  I think breakfast is the easiest to change.  It’s the first and most important meal of the day, and some may find it easier to get a healthy meal out of the way in the beginning of the day.  If you normally eat sugary cereal or don’t eat breakfast, try half a cup of oatmeal with half a banana and a handful of walnuts or a Greek yogurt with berries.  Then add another goal the second week, such as eating a vegetable or salad at lunch. Add a third goal the third week, like replacing soda with water. After a few weeks, you will notice that you prefer healthier foods and have dropped a few pounds.

3) Give yourself plenty of positive reinforcement.  As I alluded to in my second tip, losing weight is a slow process.  This process will seem faster with acknowledgement of small changes and appreciation for how important these changes are for your overall goal.  For instance, undertaking an exercise routine of 2x/week for 30 minutes each time is a huge accomplishment for a person who hasn’t exercised in years.  It is imperative that you acknowledge that fact! It may seem silly, but studies have shown that people perform better when they repeatedly tell themselves how well they are doing.  So go ahead and boast to friends and family members about that healthy breakfast you had or that 20 minutes you spent on the elliptical!

4) Compete against yourself, not others. There’s always going to be someone who is in better shape than you.  Those people are irrelevant and should not impact your goals.  For example, your friend may resolve to run a marathon and you are just working on getting to the gym 2x/week.  That might make you feel like your goal is small and insignificant, leading you to become disheartened and give up on your resolution.  Don’t allow this to happen! Appreciate what you can do and always acknowledge what you have achieved, like sticking to your resolution for two weeks.  If you keep working at your goal, the goals will keep growing.

Follow these tips and your journey to health will be simple.  For extra support and guidance, make an appointment with a Registered Dietitian.  Dedicate yourself to health in 2014.  Happy New Year!

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