January is already halfway over. How many of us have already “fell off the wagon” with our new year's resolutions? If you haven’t, that’s great! You’ve been able to stay motivated the first two weeks of the year. Now how are you going to keep it up another fifty? Sometimes we overwhelm ourselves with the goals we set or maybe it’s a great goal but we aren’t realistic about the way to go about reaching the finish line.
Here are 5 steps to help yourself see those those goals through and this time next year be a healthier you!
1) Set goals that are simple and easy to understand. Example: Lose Weight. Keeping your goals simple and easy to understand will help you have a clear line of sight as to where you want to be.
2) Set goals that are measurable. Example: Lose 10 lbs. Making sure these goals are measurable will make sure you can tell yourself, “Okay, I reached the finish line. I met my goal.” How can you accomplish something if you don’t know exactly what it is you want to do? Only when you have a destination can you plan on how to get there.
3) Set goals that are attainable. Example: I will lose 10 lbs in 2 months. Now, remember to keep your goal realistic. Something you can do. If you wanted to lose 10 lbs in one weekend that’s not very realistic and even if you could pull it off it wouldn’t be sustainable. You need to think it through and set your goal as something that is..i’ll say it again..realistic. Once you set a realistic goal you can plan according though.
4) Set goals that are relevant. If weight isn’t so much your goal but say lowering your blood pressure is; you may need to adjust your game plan. Make sure the goal you are setting is something that is relevant to where you are in life. It’s going to be hard to stay committed or motivated if you don’t feel your goal needs to be reached. If you want to get healthier and say lower your blood pressure in the process, you are going to need to focus strongly on diet. But say you wanted to lose 10 lbs but gain strength you’d want to focus on eating more lean but also incorporate some light strength training.
5) Set yourself a timeline. Example: I want to lose 1-2 lbs every week. If you decide to give yourself 2-3 months to lose 10 lbs and keep it off you can then give yourself a month to lose 4 lbs and track your progress accordingly. This will help you see where you need to make adjustments. Don’t be afraid to make changes to your plan. Whatever helps you see success in the end.
When you have your goals outlined in this way you can then break them down into smaller & easier to reach goals. And don’t feel like because you “fail” one day that the entire plan is out the window. Life happens. Allow for it to happen. These are all realistic ways to stick it out even when you aren’t exactly feeling motivated. I know I keep talking about being realistic but remember, the reality is that you CAN do it.
