As January progresses, some of us may fall out of new healthy habits and back into our old ways. Will you?
To prevent this, keep a log of how you spend your time. If you start to think you don’t have time to hit the gym or cook a decent meal, you’ll have a record of how many hours you spend doing other things.
The key to sticking to your resolutions is keeping them top of mind, setting smart goals and re-evaluating them throughout the year.
1. Revisit last year’s goals
If you keep making the same goals each year but don’t stick to them, ask yourself why. It’s probably because your goals weren’t “SMART”:
- Specific (broken down into precise, small actions)
- Measurable (easily charted on a calendar and assessed regularly)
- Attainable (achieved by making one small change at a time)
- Realistic (customized based on your unique situation)
- Timely (each action achieved within a set time period)
2. Clarify your goals and make them SMART
With the SMART system, it’s easier to see where you might have gone wrong. For instance, if you vowed to run a half-marathon but hate running, that probably wasn’t a realistic or attainable goal for you to get in shape. Know yourself—you likely won’t follow through with something you dislike! Instead, if you love dance, you may make a goal to join a salsa dance club in your neighborhood and attend three times a week.
Or, if you vowed to lose weight, consider breaking your goal down so it’s more measurable, specific and timely by attaching a measurement and date to a realistic action. For instance, “I will lose five pounds by March 1.” Then make a solid plan to follow through with it.
3. Enlist some outside help
Find out what your friends’ resolutions are. Your goals and their goals probably overlap, so you can support each other while staying accountable. Getting professional help from a counselor or life coach can be an even bigger step and source of support.
Let your doctor or health care practitioner know about your planned health and lifestyle changes. They can advise you of any special considerations unique to your medical history.
4. Make a backup plan
Keep in mind that all is not lost if you fall off the wagon—as long as you pick up your healthy habits again. Use the “three-day rule.” Clinical psychologist Josh Klapow suggests, “If you go three days without doing your health habit, write down the reasons for not doing it. Then, pick a date you plan to start back up. Put that date on the calendar and tell at least one person the date. This strategy will help you catch a slip-up early and give you a plan for getting back on track.”
Throughout the year, keep re-evaluating your goals: are they still working for you? How can you improve them? Then you’ll be sticking to them all year long!
