Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year!

Many people begin each year by making resolutions. We’ve all been there. We take a vow to lose weight, exercise more, or spend more time with our family.

We start the year with great intentions, but then quickly relapse into old habits.

Why is it so hard to stick to those New Year’s resolutions? Here are some ways you can encourage your intentions to last all year!

New Year, New You!

1.  Write down your intentions and keep them in a visible place.

Try the fridge, the dashboard of your car, bedroom mirror; you get the idea.

2.  Get to the source of whatever is keeping you stuck.

Are you in emotional turmoil that causes you to eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every night? Are you stressed at your job and feel too tired to exercise after work?  If you don’t tackle the root of the behavior, it will be much harder to accomplish your goal.

3.  Focus on the benefits.

If you resolve to eat better this year, how will this benefit you? Get connected to the results of your actions, and you will be more likely to stick with your plan.

4.  Make your goals small and attainable.

“Lose 20 pounds” is a big goal. It’s also daunting and provides zero direction on how to get there. “Exercise 5 minutes per day”, on the other hand, is small, motivating, and will get you closer to where you want to be. Studies show that success is attributed to long term habits, not big, short term attempts.

5.  Reward yourself for your accomplishments.

There is a reason why good behavior is rewarded. People are more likely to continue doing something when it is appreciated. So appreciate yourself and your own hard work by treating yourself to a massage or something else you enjoy.

Big changes do not require big leaps. Allow yourself to climb the ladder one rung at a time!