Why is it that every time January 1st rolls around, everyone starts thinking about their new resolutions for the year? Or maybe ‘new’ isn’t the right word; maybe ‘recycled’ is more correct? After all, isn’t it true that for most people “resolutions are made to be broken?”
Goals are a wonderful way to inspire us to get the things we want in life, but more often than not they simply remain out of reach and we end up frustrated (again) at the end of the year.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Real.
You can achieve your goals or resolutions, but only IF you know how to set them correctly in the first place. And I’ll give you a few helpful tips to get you started on the right track…
- Start with the end in mind. What is the end result you want to achieve? Do you want to lose weight? Or would you rather reduce 1 clothing size?
- Be specific and be realistic. It is not enough to just say, “I want to lose weight.” How much do you want to lose? precisely? When? A better goal is to say, “I want to lose 11 pounds in 3 months.” And make sure your goal is realistic. If you want to lose 50 pounds, saying you want to do it in the next seven days isn’t realistic, not to mention it’s not healthy to do so! Or if you have slowly gained weight over the past ten years, it is not entirely realistic to say that you want to get back to the weight you were ten years ago within a month.
- Break it down into smaller and easier “baby steps.” Let’s say you want to lose 20 pounds. That seems like an insurmountable task, but it becomes easier to manage if you think of it as an average loss of 1 pound per week, over a twenty-week period. That is now manageable! To lose a pound in a week, all you need to do is create a calorie deficit of about 500 calories per day by controlling your diet and increasing your amount of exercise.
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Okay, now the big “secret” – the missing key to achieving your goals: write down your “Why”, i.e. what are you doing this for? Most people skip this step, and it’s one of the main reasons why they never seem to achieve their goals. It is absolutely critical that you write down the reasons why you want to achieve each specific goal. For example, if the goal is to “lose 20 pounds in six months,” write down why you want to lose that weight. And here’s another tip: make it ‘personal and emotional’. The more ’emotional’ the reason, the more likely you are to be driven towards the goal. Let’s say you have children. An example of a good “reason why” is: “I know that being overweight is a major cause of many health problems – I will lose the 20 pounds and become healthier so that I will not be a burden to my children and will be able to to stay. healthy long enough to attend my daughter’s wedding and be there to carry my grandchildren.” Assuming all of these things are important to you, of course. 🙂 But I’m sure you get the picture.
- “Write it down and hang it up!” It’s usually not good enough to just think about the goals in your head. You should write down all your specific goals and the “reasons why” and then stick them somewhere where you look at them every day. Don’t write it down in a notebook and throw it in the drawer. Instead, stick it on the mirror of your dressing table, or somewhere else that is clearly visible. Remember: “out of sight, out of mind!”
Don’t be too ambitious. Aim for a maximum loss of 1-2 pounds per week! Losing more than that amount is bad for you. And it will most likely be caused by a loss of water and/or muscle, rather than your unwanted excess body fat.
- Be realistic and ‘go with the flow’. The pounds didn’t come overnight, so don’t expect them to disappear overnight. And sometimes weight loss doesn’t happen as quickly (or as much) as planned. But don’t get stressed, because stress will only add to the pounds. It is important that you do not view the weight loss process as ‘all or nothing’. Instead, think of it as “slow and steady.” The weight may go up a bit sometimes, but if you stick to your plan, you will still be happy at the end of the year!
Use these simple steps and make a positive difference in your life this year! Good luck!
Published by May Healthy Lifestyle