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The holidays have come and gone, oh right, except for New Year’s. With most of the holidays behind, now is a good time to assess how you did over the holidays and what you want to do in the New year. Many people have a surge of motivation starting in the New year. They take a step back,
assess their lives, think about what they have accomplished, and what they want to
accomplish. Channeling that extra motivation to set realistic goals about health and
weight can be a key to your success.
Step 1. What do you want to accomplish in the New year?
For those of you who may have gained a few pounds over the holidays, now is the time to
create a plan for shedding these pounds. Set a realistic goal that will fit into your
current lifestyle or may require some MODERATE lifestyle or behavior changes. Most people
cannot make dramatic changes in their lives, so starting with realistic goals is key.
Avoid typical urges to follow a diet that’s main principle for losing weight is deprivation.
Deprivation may work in the short run, but you will end up reverting back to your old
habits soon enough. No one can constantly deprive themselves of things they want, and
that’s not what life is about!
Your plan should include both exercise and eating guidelines and should be detailed so that
you have no question about what you are supposed to do on a given day. If you make it too
vague, it will be hard to stick with the plan and easier to stray.
Step 2. WHY do you want to achieve these goals?
Write down in a place you can refer back to why you want to achieve these goals. It is
crucial for your continued motivation to figure out what your motivation is and why you
are setting out on this path. It is not easy to stick with an eating and exercise plan, so
having well thought out and detailed reasons for wanting to achieve these goals will help
you along the way.
Step 3. When are you going to start?
Setting a starting date for your plan is important. It is easier for most to start their
eating and exercise plans in the New year with renewed motivation. Don’t let that
opportunity pass you by. Once you get going and create new patterns in your life, it will
be easier to maintain these as you begin to lose some of your motivation.
Step 4. Track your progress IN WRITING!
Speaking of losing motivation, one of our biggest motivators is tracking progress. This
does not necessarily mean tracking how much weight you’ve lost, because weight loss is
slow going. But you can set short-term goals, such as working out four days each week.
Each week that you reach this goal, congratulate yourself and that’ll increase your
motivation to do it next week. This helps get you out of bed on the days your not so
excited about working out!
Because most of us don’t know exactly how many calories we eat in a day, and losing weight
requires consuming less calories, it is imperative to reaching your goals to write down
what you’re eating. This will help you see if you really are on track with your calorie
goal. It will also show you some common mistakes you may be making with certain foods.
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But Wait, What About New Year’s Eve? |
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It is only one night. In the big scheme of things, what you eat on that one night
is not going to matter all that much. So, have fun, enjoy yourself and get ready
for the new year! |
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Step 5. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
It is easy to beat yourself up for getting off tack once you put together a plan and set
out to achieve your goals. We all are human, don’t forget, and can’t possibly be good every
day, all day. So, when you fall off track, take a step back and remember WHY you originally
set out to achieve these goals. This will help you to remember what your motivations and
feelings were tied to these goals and will help you get back on track!
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