Ringing in the New Year wouldn’t be normal without assigning yourself a resolution. Here are some tips to set yourself up to be successful where others fail.
Make resolutions:
Specific: Don’t say “I want to be happy this year” What does that mean? How will you know when you are happy? Consider what happy is to you, like ‘set good boundaries’ or ‘not judge myself’. Then define your boundaries or create positive mantra’s for yourself.
Measurable: Don’t say “I’m going to work out more”. Create a beginner schedule (days a week, hours, minutes, activity) with a milestone. For instance, I’m going to work out 3 days a week for one hour a day and I will be able to walk around the lake 3 times without stopping by the end of February. Then celebrate the accomplishment. Next step, a new schedule and milestone. Maybe add a new healthy eating behavior. For the next 60 days, I’m only going to have one treat a week (calorie allowance?) or no bread except on Sundays.
Flexible: Don’t say “I’m going to take up jogging everyday.” Be flexible, do something every day but don’t force yourself to do things you don’t like. Try jogging on Mondays, swimming on Tuesdays, etc. or do an activity for a week then switch to another activity for a week and so on.
Fun: Enough said!