5 Tips for Help in Keeping Your New Year’s Health Resolutions!
Here we go…..another New Year! As you give thanks for being alive to welcome the beginning of another year, you are probably one of those people that attempt to make yet another New Year’s Resolution. Every year thousands of people promise themselves that they are going to give up some bad habit, such as smoking, etc., or pick up a healthy one, liking regularly working out to get in better shape or finally going on a diet. Yet every year thousands of people fail to follow through, as most New Year resolutions are notoriously difficult to keep. Well, this year there is a help, as I’ve got some tips that have worked for me and others in the past.
Well, I’ve got some help with some tips that have worked for me and others in the past. Yes, five tips, to ensure that no matter what health-related New Year’s resolution you make, you’ll have a greater possible chance of seeing it through. But be aware, a resolution is much like a goal, so you must be serious about achieving it, and some of these tips require a brave-hearted move.
*Tip 1 – Make It Achievable
This may be a very obvious tip, but it’s something many don’t take into consideration when making their New Year’s Resolutions. In order to gauge whether or not your goals are actually achievable it’s best to write them down in incremental steps, this way as you move forward, you can actually see as the steps are manifested.
Let’s take an example of a 45-year-old female who makes a New Year’s Resolution, on December 31st, to lose 60-pounds by May 20th of the following year. Is this impossible? Well that’s not for me to say in her individual case, but if she’s planning to quickly and easily lose that much weight, in the hopes of regaining her 22-year-old body, then obviously this is a goal that is very likely unachievable in more than 80% of the population, and she might also fail. Why? Because it places an unreasonable amount of immediate stress on a person, and this is a target of a much more long-term goal.
However, setting a more realistic short-term goal that focuses on losing a smaller amount, like the first 10 pounds, is a better resolution and is much more user-friendly and achievable. The smart approach and plan are to set both long-term goals, say the 60 pounds, with a set of short-term goals, as stepping-stones to get there. Remember to write down the steps that will get you to your goal, this way you can refer back to them often. Also, be honest with yourself when considering whether or not you are actually going to be able to achieve each one.
*Tip 2 – Daily Intention Setting & Affirmations
Once you have decided on exactly what your resolution is, remind yourself of it daily! Then, program yourself for success by posting your written goal and steps in at least five places around your home, so that you see it and be reminded of it every day. This will help you to stay on track and not easily forget what you promised yourself that you would achieve.
Also, every single morning of every single day, you are going to visualize your success. Best time to do this is when you awake and rise out of bed, try spending 5 minutes doing this as you organize your morning tasks to be done and the rest of your day. Find a spot where you can be alone for a few minutes and visualize yourself having already achieved your goal.
- Try to sense the feeling of accomplishment and happiness at having achieved your goal.
- Imagine how you will act and think at that point in your life
- Make the visualization extremely rich in sensation, meaning putting all the senses to work. Imagine what you will hear, what you will see and feel. Touch your forehead, as if to plant the scene in your brain and feel it as you imagine how proud you will be when you praise yourself and others congratulate you, on having achieved your goal.
This is an extremely powerful way of programming your brain for success because it will begin to believe that you have already achieved your goal. And as your thoughts change it will be easier for your body transforms in accordance with that.
*Tip 3 – Join Forces
Another way to help you to achieve your goal is to join forces with a friend or family member who wants to make either the same or a similar change for the New Year. (aka Resolution) Being able to offer each other support and encouragement, a goal buddy will offer you more motivation to stick to your plans and achieve success.
Just make sure that the person you choose to join forces with has a high or similar level of motivation to achieve their goal as well. This is a better guarantee that you both get the support you need.
*Tip 4 – Announce What You Resolved To Do
Tell everyone that you know and feel comfortable with, what your plans are. This is called accountability! Doing this will mean that if you fail to stick to your resolution, you will have to explain, to a lot of people, why or how you failed. I don’t know about you, but not many I know like to admit defeat. Try making the thought of failure so uncomfortable that you have no choice but to continue working towards your goal.
*Tip 5 – Make a Bet
Once you have given yourself a realistic target and set plan of accomplishing it, you are going to find your loudest and most obnoxious friend, and agree to make a value-filled bet with this person. Now, I’m not advocating betting in a gambling type of way, this is more of a plan of action type wager. Agree with this friend, co-worker, etc., that you will stick to your resolution and achieve your goal, or else you will have to pay him/her a certain amount of money, like $100, or relinquish something else is of value to both parties in involved.
This is a sure-fire way of boosting your motivation, however; make sure that the amount of money or thing you bet, matters to you enough so that you absolutely want to avoid losing. If $100 is not a lot of money to you, then you should try going higher until you’re no longer comfortable. The fact that you made this bet with someone famously known for rubbing failure in faces, will make you want to achieve your goal even more so, because no one wants to lose a bet and then be subjected to reliving it every time you meet with that person.
A similar way of doing this would be to give a trusted friend or family member the money or item up front. Make sure to tell that if you fail to meet your resolution, then they can keep the money or object; conversely, however, they’ll have to return it when you achieve success.
*Wrapping Up
So there they are… 5 simple but powerful tips! I hope they will help you keep your New Year’s Resolution. Promise yourself to put all of them into action and watch them work for you. I firmly believe and from experience, that you have a better chance of a guarantee, and a higher possible amount of motivation for staying on track, if your plans are approached this way.
This time, if you choose to make a New Year’s resolution, sticking through to accomplishment should be much easier. Keep check of the steps and continue reassuring yourself of the end results. If you’re convinced and believe in yourself enough, you can be certain that it will come true!
**PS: I would love to know how you’re doing every now and then. Feel free to check in.
LeYanna H/YBG