There's nothing like the start of a brand new year to give you a boost of motivation. It's a chance to reflect on the previous twelve months, and also look to the future and decide where you want to be. Setting goals is so important for all areas of our lives, it keeps us on the right path and ensures we're not stagnating. Setting and then achieving goals can be great for your mental health and generally help you to stay in control of your life. But new years resolutions are tricky things, often people go about them in the wrong way meaning they don't last more than a few weeks. Here are a few of the ways you can be more realistic, and ensure they stick past February!
Set Realistic, Specific Goals
If for example you want to lose weight, plan the steps for getting there. Work out how much you want to lose, and then a realistic time frame based on the fact that healthy weight loss is one to two pounds a week. Plan a workout routine where you'll be doing exercise or hitting the gym on certain days that fit within your current work/ life routine, and decide what you'll be eating. Instead of swearing off junk food forever (it just won't last) incorporate sensible treats into your menu plan to keep you on track. You could state in your resolution that you will weigh or measure yourself once a week/ fortnight/ month to keep you on track.
Set The Date
You might assume that to be a New Year’s resolution, you must start on the first day in January, however you might have been celebrating for the whole night before, and won’t necessarily feel fresh enough to start going on a morning run right away. If you want to start a healthy eating plan, it can be difficult to do when there's still lots of chocolate and Christmas food left. If you're not going to be starting on January 1st, set a date that you will be commencing. When you return to work in the new year makes a good start date, as you're back in a routine and back to reality.
Plan Ahead
Using weight loss again as an example, plan ahead so you have everything you need. Sign up to the gym online so you're ready to go once the date you've set rolls around. Make sure you have the right equipment, gym clothes and good trainers. If you want to invest in a fitness tracker, you could utilise the January sales. When it comes to eating, always plan ahead. Meal prep lunches so you're never caught short. Write up a menu plan each week and make sure you have the ingredients needed to make each meal. If you wanted to quit smoking, you could look into vape tanks, patches or other paraphernalia which can make the process of getting off cigarettes easier. Don't leave everything until the last minute or start before you have what you need, as you'll only be setting yourself up to fail.
Know That It Won’t Be Easy
Whenever you make changes to the way you live your life, you will face problems along the way. Make sure that you have prepared yourself for the hurdles you could face well in-advance so that you know what to expect. The good thing about December being a month of indulgence is that come January, most of us are fed up with it and are in the right frame of mind to make positive changes. Being mentally prepared for the ups and downs is crucial to be able to succeed.
