New Year Resolutions

How many of you make New Year Resolutions? In the past I was notorious for making them, however, like almost everyone else they only lasted a couple of weeks before they very quickly fizzled out. I think there are two big mistakes that we make with resolutions. One, we are too generic and say things like “I will work out more” or we set goals that are too high like “I will work out 6 times a week” (when you don’t work out at all now). Two, we think of resolutions as something temporary and not a lifestyle change. Whether we realize it or not New Year resolutions are really goals we set for ourselves. With this being the case, here are some suggestions on how to make better New Year’s Resolutions.

1.       Make resolutions that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time sensitive). Then come up with specific ways/strategies you can use to achieve these resolutions.

2.       Don’t make more than 3 resolutions. If you try to do too many things you end up doing nothing.

3.       Get someone’s input. Ask them if this goal seems too easy or too hard. Also, by talking to someone else about it you are more likely to keep it up.

4.       Remember this is a marathon not a sprint, you are trying to make a healthy change to your life not a temporary change.

5.       Write down your resolution, if you write something down you are more likely to keep to it.

Despite all the previous failures with achieving my New Year’s Resolutions, I continue to make them.
Why? Not sure really, but it most likely because I am always striving to live healthier. So, this year my resolutions are:  go to the gym 4 times a week by March with at least one time involving strength training, and get 7-8 hours of sleep every night by March.

What are your resolutions?