|
Keeping Your New Years Resolutions
by
Deanna Anderson
Are
you one among millions who will be making a New Years resolution this
year? Are you also one among the millions that will break your New
Years resolution? Every year resolutions are made and either forgotten
or broken before the year is half over. Take the number 1 goal of all:
weight loss and/or exercise. Health club memberships increase
dramatically in January but 84% of these people will not keep their
resolution. Often guilt ensues when someone realizes that their
resolutions have not been met and maybe never will be. This completely
defeats the purpose since making resolutions is to change a person
positively and feeling guilt is not a positive emotion.
So, how can a person make and keep a resolution? Following these tips
and advice will help you on your way to keeping a resolution.
Be Realistic: Often, people make resolutions in the heat of the moment.
That is, they make resolutions on the night that they are celebrating
the New Year. People are having a good time and feel that they can
accomplish anything but goals should be well thought out plans, not
whims of fancy. Pick resolutions that you can accomplish and pick a
time limit in which you can accomplish it.
Be Specific: State what it is that you really want. The goal losing
weight is not adequate enough; you must know how much weight you want
to lose and how you are going to lose it.
Choose the Right Goal: If you are a woman over 40 then choosing a goal
to become an Olympic gymnast is not the right one for you since Olympic
gymnasts tend to be 12-18 years old. But taking a gymnastics or
aerobics class in your town is an adequate goal. Or wanting to move to
another country without ever having been there first probably is not a
smart goal, but visiting that country first is. Choose the goal that is
feasible; that fits within your means and needs.
Develop a Plan: Now that you have your goals in mind you need to
develop a plan. Lets stick the number one goal, losing weight, and
decide from there where we need to go. You know that you want to lose
20 pounds. So, the goal is realistic and hopefully right for you. The
first step might be to seek a doctors counsel. It is possible that
exercising, dieting or losing 20 pounds is not feasible considering
your health. A doctor will let you know that or let you know how much
weight or what type of exercise is feasible for you. Then your next
step could be to enroll in a health club and have professionals help
you lose the weight, or enroll in club that will teach you the proper
portions and eating habits that will help you to lose the weight. Think
through every goal in baby steps, writing each step down, and how long
you think it will take you to accomplish that step. Even if the step is
minor such as call the doctor for an appointment. The step would be to
call doctor by Monday.
Remain flexible: Life happens when you arent looking. No one can tell
what might happen in the next 365 days and certain goals may to be
delayed, altered or dropped completely. Again, with the weight goal, if
the doctor visits shows that 20 pounds might not be healthy for you
(you might be 6 foot tall and only way 120 as it is) but that 10 is
better, then take his advice and alter your goal. Or, you may find out
that you are pregnant. In this case your exercise and diet regimen
would have to either stop or be altered. Maybe you break a leg and cant
exercise for 3 weeks and this goes beyond your goal set time. Be
flexible, no one is looking at your time limit except you. When you set
your own deadline you can move that deadline. You may also have to add
steps or take some away depending on how your needs or wants change.
Stay on Track: This is probably the most important step of all. Staying
on track means more than just to keep track of your individual steps
and when they were met. This means to stick to the goal as well. Dont
attend 3 sessions of exercise and upon seeing no results except some
sore muscles decide to quit. There is nothing wrong with abandoning a
goal, it is your choice, but you must give it a try first. That is why
baby steps are a great method. Instead of one large step you have a
multitude of baby steps that you get to cross off your list one at a
time.
Following these steps can help you along your resolution path of
success. Another great tip not mentioned above is that not all
resolutions have to start on January 1st. The dates for starting and
completing a goal can be different. It is easier to accomplish a few
goals throughout the year rather than starting them all the first week
in January. This is one of the main causes for breaking goals.
Good luck and happy new year resolutions!
About
Deanna
Anderson
Deanna is from Sumter, SC, USA. She is a freelancer writer whose
articles appear mostly on the internet. She is a mom, a wife
and also works fulltime. She writes about a variety of topics and what
she loves best about freelance work is researching and learning about
any topic of her choosing. Visit her at http://www.lulu.com/deelynna
|
