We’re one month into 2019- how is your resolutions going?
If you’re like most of us, probably not as great as you were hoping. In fact, less than 1 in 10 of us is likely to actually stick to our New Year’s resolutions. The reasons behind this are vast and vary greatly from person to person. There are, however, ways to increase your odds of success. Here are 7 ways to help you actually stick to your resolutions this year.
Be realistic
Saying you’re never going to eat pizza or dessert again is setting yourself up for failure. Instead, simply commit to eating it less than you do now or start by giving it up for a set amount of time, say 30 days. This is much more doable and less likely to make you feel deprived. As your habits change, the odds of long-term success will be greater.
Set small, attainable goals
If the thought of losing 40 pounds is simply overwhelming, don’t start there. Instead, commit to losing 10, or even 5. Once you’ve had one success, you’re much more likely to be motivated enough to continue on your journey because you’ve seen it’s attainable.
Talk about it
Don’t keep your resolutions a secret. The more people you tell, the more you will feel the need to stick with it because let’s face it, it’s embarrassing to tell someone else that you failed. Then, encourage others to hold you accountable. Whether it’s friends and family, an accountability partner or public accountability (aka: announcing it on social media), the fear of letting someone down can be enough to keep you encouraged.
You don’t have to start on January 1
Oftentimes, there is so much hype around a New Year’s resolutions that the pressure alone can make you fail. Changing a habit can happen anytime, no matter the time of year. So, instead of saying, “Oh well, I’ve already messed up this year. I’ll try again next year”, or even the infamous “I’ll start on Monday”, decide that you can start right now, today, whenever that day may be. It takes roughly three weeks of doing something to make it a habit and it’s never the wrong time to start.
Don’t break promises to yourself
Taken directly from Rachel Hollis’ book “Girl Wash Your Face”, we are much more likely to break a promise to ourselves than someone else. If you commit to keeping promises to yourself, you’ll learn to be more realistic about what you can and cannot do in a given day. So, instead of saying you’ll work out every single day and then failing three days in, commit to working out twice a week and actually do it. Put yourself first and you’ll find that you become more reliable in other aspects of your life.
Reward yourself
Celebrate reaching your goals in a way that doesn’t put your resolutions back at square one. So, if your goal is to eat healthier, don’t reward your successful diet by polishing off an entire pizza with a side of ice cream. Instead, buy yourself a new outfit in your smaller size.
Don’t give up
It’s normal to have an occasional slip-up, so don’t give up just because you have one (or two or three) moments of weakness. Changing a habit takes time and the ultimate goal is to change your lifestyle. Nobody’s perfect and thinking that way will only make you want to quit after the first digression.
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