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New Year's Resolution No-No's
How To Avoid Unrealistic Goals
by Rick Streb
Do you see New Year's Eve as a great time to make resolutions you will inevitably break? You're not alone. However, believe it or not, a full 63 percent of people do stick to their primary resolutions for at least two months. It can be done. Here are the top five reasons why we don't keep our resolutions past February:
Reality Check 101: Unrealistic goals are a real killer for achieving any change in our lives. Instead of cutting "all sugars and carbs" from your diet or deciding to "exercise every single day," consider moderation. Unless you have health constraints, an occasional carb can be a reward, especially after you've created an attainable exercise plan for your busy schedule. Also make sure the resolutions on your list are purely for you — not your partner, your family, or your friends. If you're not doing them for yourself, you won't end up doing them at all.
No plan of attack: Being impulsive might spice up a romance, but where resolutions are concerned, less is more. Several excellent ways for setting yourself up for resolution failure are not planning out your resolutions until the last minute or making them based on your mindset on New Year's Eve. Planning, then assessing what obstacles may hinder your goals (e.g., you want to cut junk food from your diet, but live in a household of junk-food junkies) will help you evaluate what changes you need to make. And then make them!
K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid): What's with the 10 resolutions on that list? Take off your overachiever cape and toss it aside. Who in hell do you think you’re kidding anyway? Too many people overwhelm themselves by attempting several big life changes simultaneously. Choose one or two achievable goals that introduce positive changes into your life instead of forcing yourself to quit all of your bad habits at once. The confidence you gain by following one new healthy life pattern can later be parlayed into eliminating another unhealthy one. Confidence is the key underlying factor in people creating true change.
More or less: These words are the enemies of goal attainment. More healthy, less weight? What does this mean in real terms? Those who fall off the resolution wagon often fail to quantify goals or set deadlines. If you want to feel healthier, write a list of what that means to you (for example, go to the gym twice weekly, add two veggies to daily diet, lose 10 pounds by March, get monthly massages) and work from there. Be specific. Do you really believe that if your goals are vague or open-ended you’ll be successful?
If at first you don't succeed: I hate clichés, but this old axiom is so true. Yet we do ourselves a great disservice by not making sure to "try, try again." If you sneak a snack, leave work early or indulge that TV craving, it doesn't mean you have to abandon your commitment. It’s not a tragedy! Persistence is the key. If you fall off the wagon, get back on! Only 40 percent of people achieve their goals the first time around. Seventeen percent succeeded after more than six tries. It's a mistake to blame yourself if you fail. Instead, look at the barriers that were in your way. See how you can do better the next time and figure out a better plan to succeed. Be persistent. The beauty of living on this Earth is that you WILL fail often, but you do get to “try again."
Prime yourself for successful resolutions by being realistic, taking small steps, recognizing success and being flexible when you relapse. By keeping at it (aka persistence) and not throwing in the towel the first time you skip a workout or give into a craving, you will be able to make positive changes that will last all year…and beyond.
When you make exercise fit your personality and your lifestyle, you are already on the road to success.
Don't Wait!!!
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