After nearly a month of indulging in holiday treats and rushing around in the hustle and bustle of the season, many of us are already planning resolutions for health and life. In the past many of us have chosen resolutions that become unrealistic, or we lose motivation the second week into January. As we enter the new year, seek goals that are attainable and will result in a healthier, happier you.
This is a list of top New Year’s resolutions from last year. Only 45% of American’s usually make resolutions and of those who make goals, only 8% actually follow through.*
1. Lose Weight
2. Getting Organized
3. Spend Less, Save More
4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest
5. Stay Fit and Healthy
Why do so many of us fail at achieving our goals? One problem can be choosing resolutions that are unrealistic and the other can be goals that are too vague. Here are a few ideas for help creating New Year’s resolutions you will be able to keep.
1. Choose a time frame for each goal you make. Circle this date or enter it on your calendar- i.e. By January 1, 2016 I want to have saved $___.
2. Prioritize what is important and realistic for you to achieve. For example, instead of “losing weight,” change it to “eating healthier.” Fad diets may or may not bring results and can be very dangerous for your health and wellness, make small diet changes and commit to making healthier choices. Don’t do everything at once, if you have a particular area that you are struggling tackle that first. For example; eliminating soda drinking, decreasing sugar intake, switching from white to whole grains, adding more fruits and vegetables into your diet, eliminated processed foods, drinking more water.
3. Focus on different areas of your life. There are a few broad categories you can define goals in- professional/work, health and wellness, spiritual, emotional, relationships, and financial. If you have been suffering from chronic pain, health and wellness may be a priority for you. Find ways that you can take care and reduce your pain with diet changes, exercise or regular therapeutic massages. State that you want to get ___ massages by March and then it will be easier to see if you are on track by that date.
4. Reflect on your successes not failures. Stay motivated by celebrating each success. Reward yourself for all achievements from small to big. If your goal is to workout at least 3 times a week, feel confident after every workout. After completing this goal for a month treat yourself to something you enjoy, i.e. buying new workout clothes, a treat, massage etc. If you don’t accomplish your goal one week don’t beat yourself up. Just get focused for next week and push yourself to succeed.
5. Be more specific in your goals. Be as detailed as possible when you are defining your goals for the new year. Instead of saying “getting organized” say “I want to organize ____.” A resolution to get organized is extremely vague. How can you measure if you have completed this goal? What constitutes organized? Instead of a blanket statement pick a certain area you want to work on. You can choose a certain room in your home (office, garage, kitchen pantry, closets…) or if you need more day-to-organization make an effort to use to-do lists, put things away after you use them, file paperwork etc. There are endless ideas for this particular area but choose specifics to help you get it accomplished. Once you get one area cleaned up you will see how efficient it is and move on to the next area.
6. List your reasons for making changes. Why do you want to get healthier in the new year? Maybe you want to do it for your kids or have health problems, whatever your reasons write them down and go back and examine them when you find yourself struggling.
These are just a few ideas for making resolutions for next year. Find an area that you are looking to change or improve on in your life and make a plan for achieving your goals. We want to know… do you make resolutions each year? What is on your list to tackle during 2015?
NW Therapeutic Massage wishes you a very Happy Holidays, and a Happy, Healthy New Year!
*Statistics from Statistic Brain
