7 Tips for Making Realistic New Year's Resolutions

Did you know that only 1 in 10 meet their resolution goals??!  Check out these tips to give yourself the edge.

1. START FRESH
Don't reuse a resolution you've already tried.  Recycling past goals rarely ends up the way you want it to. Change it up!  Now that doesn't mean if you've tried losing weight or quitting smoking before you can't try again.  But this time, tweak it a bit.  Add more detail to the WHY & HOW you plan on achieving your goal.  Write down why it will be different this time and then make sure that you're actually picking a different approach to back that up.


2. DON'T BE A COPYCAT
Really think about what YOU want out of life. Don't just copy what your friends might be doing.   Consider what small shifts could create meaningful change in your world for this coming year.


3. SMART GOALS = SUCCESS!
Make sure your goal is:
Specific - Measurable - Attainable - Realistic - Timely
Break it down into manageable steps to give yourself the best shot for success.  Losing 20 pounds in a month is not a realistic goal for long-term weight loss (a healthy loss is about 1-3 pounds per week).


4. SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY
Take pride in wanting to make positive changes and giving your new year some focused direction to better yourself.  Accountability can be huge when it comes to staying on task.  Let your friends or family know what your goal for 2018 is so that they can help you stay on track.


5.  EXPECT A SET-BACK
Setbacks are part of success!  They help to challenge us and strengthen us on our way to making change.  Don't give up on yourself just because you have a bad day, or miss a deadline on one of your subgoals.  It's okay!  Just dust yourself off, recommit, and get back to it! 


6. TRY A THEME!
Feel like thinking outside the box for 2018??  Pick a word that you could use as your motivator.  I did this last year and found it to be a nice shake up for my usual resolution approach.  Take the word "discpline" for example... you can apply it to clean eating, making it to the gym 3x a week, carrying your water bottle with you, and it can even trickle into any personal growth goals you may have!  


7.  ASK FOR HELP
There are specialists for most anything!  If accomplishing your goal is more likely with the help of a professional, then make the investment and set an appointment NOW to hold yourself accountable.

Here's to a happier, healthier y0u in 2018!


Shameless Plug: If your New Year's goals involve feeling stronger, healthier, more balanced, please reach out, I would be delighted to help!  (Thanks to technology, you don't have to be local to work with me.)