Dos and Don’ts for Starting Your New Year Resolution

It’s getting to that time of year again, where people start to think about what they want to change for the next year, what goals they are going to try to attain, or how they are going to start living a healthier lifestyle.  As a certified personal trainer for the past 25 years, I have witnessed firsthand what works and what doesn’t.  Here are the dos and don’ts for starting your new year resolution.

 

Do set specific, measurable goals!

Everyone wants to be healthier, but what does that mean to you?  Does it mean you want to lose weight?  Does it mean you want to eat better?  Does it mean you want to get stronger by starting a weight training program?  Does it mean that you simply want to be able to walk up your stairs without getting winded?  Within those goals, how much weight do you want to lose and by when?  Does eating better mean adding more protein, drinking more water, eating smaller portions, or limiting your sweets consumption?  How often are you going to do strength training within the week?  Does building your cardiovascular fitness to walk up the stairs include daily walks or riding a stationary bicycle?  By making your goals more specific and measurable, you will be able to take away the ambiguousness and track your progress better.

 

Do start small!

We all have the end goal that we want, and for most of us it is to be healthier, look better, feel better, and be able to do the things we want to do when we want to do them.  How do we get there?  Start small!  Give your body time to adapt to the changes you are making.  If you try to do too much too soon, you will end up being sore, overwhelmed, and potentially injured or sick!  Build up your duration or frequency if exercise is a part of your goal.  Gradually diminish your food intake so that you aren’t starving yourself if you are trying to lose weight.

 

Don’t start all your changes at the same time!

If you are looking at making multiple goals or if your goal has multiple facets, start with one!  Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to make all of the changes at once.  Instead, choose 1 change you want to make and start to adhere to that.  After a couple of weeks, layer in your next change.  Small changes add up faster and last longer than one big change.

 

Don’t set unrealistic goals!

Setting unrealistic goals is setting yourself up for failure.  You aren’t going to lose 50 pounds in 2 weeks, you aren’t going to get noticeably stronger after 1 workout.  Make sure that your goals are attainable.  They can be challenging but give yourself time to get there.  The journey will make reaching that goal that much more satisfying.

 

Do find a way to make your goal fun!

When you can find joy in how you go about attaining your goals, your chances of reaching your goals will be that much greater.  No one wants to do something that they loathe every day for the sake of a goal.  Ultimately you will end up quitting before your goal is reached.

 

Do share your goals with someone else!

Studies have shown that when someone else knows our goals, we are more likely to attain them because we don’t want to have to admit to that person that we failed.  They will also more often than not help keep us motivated, encouraged, and accountable.

 

Don’t leave your goal open ended!

Set a timeline on when you want to achieve your goal by.  If you say you want to lose 15 pounds but don’t say by when, then you will always be trying to lose 15 pounds.  By setting a timeline, you give yourself something to work towards.  It is also easier to set smaller goals within that timeline to keep  you on track and make the goal that much less daunting.

 

Do make an action plan!

The old adage holds true, “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”!

 

If you follow these simple strategies for the upcoming new year, your chances of being successful with whatever goal you decide will go up exponentially.  If you need help figuring out steps for reaching your goal, reach out to the appropriate professional for help.  It can seem scary, or you may feel uncomfortable reaching out to a professional, but they all do what they do to help people.  Their knowledge, skill, and training will help you reach your goals faster than you may be able to do yourself.  So set your goals with confidence and start making that action plan now so that when the new year comes, you are ready and prepared.