How can you make your New Year’s Resolution stick all year long?
If watch TV, browse the internet or pay attention to advertising at all, you will see weight loss ads saturate the market. This past weekend I was running errands and heard multiple weight loss ads on the radio.
Most of the ads I heard were for herbal supplements, drinks, and cleanses. One ad even talked about how much “sludge” we have in our colon and how that’s causing obesity. If you buy the all-natural cleanse you will “expel” the sludge and lose weight. Note: I don’t want to be around when the “expelling” happens 😉
With all the ads it’s hard to know what you REALLY need to do to lose weight and make resolutions stick all year long.
We start with the best intentions and then along the way we may lose focus go back to our old habits. We KNOW what we have to do, but for some reason we can’t “make ourselves” do it.
How do you break the cycle?
6 Proven Tips to Help You You Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick
1) Don’t Fall Prey to Cleanses and Quick Fix Diets
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. As a response to the cleanses and “sludge” causing weight gain, as mentioned in the radio ad… it’s simply not true. In fact, our colons need bacteria to digest and process foods. Our liver, kidneys and colon do a great job cleansing our bodies on their own. Of course, eating healthy whole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, etc and exercising helps tremendously, but buying cleanses to rid our body of toxins are a waste of money.
In addition, quick fix diets that rely on supplements, packaged shakes or meals (to replace regular meals) are usually not sustainable long term. Learning how to eat a balanced way (that produces weight loss) 365 days a year is necessary to make lifelong change. By the way, most sustainablephysique changes take months or years, not days or weeks.
This brings us to #2…
2) Make Sure Your Program Is Sustainable
Don’t do anything drastic. Many diets or exercise programs are too extreme or do not fit with your lifestyle. Don’t cut out all carbs (you need some carbs!), don’t slash calories too low (especially lower than 1,000 calories/day), and make sure you consume a good balance of healthy, whole foods.
When it comes to exercise start out slow, especially if you are new to exercise or have taken a break and are getting back in a routine.
You will be changing habits and getting out of your comfort zone to make progress. Acknowledge some days will be difficult and you won’t want to do it. Experts say it usually takes 3 weeks to create a new habit. I can tell you that seems to be about right. Keep going and your new habits will get easier to maintain.
3) Find Your WHY
It should all start with figuring out WHY you want to achieve your goal. To simply say, “I want to lose weight,” or “I want to get fit” is not enough. WHY do you want to do these things and HOW will reaching these goals impact your life for the better? Once you figure that out, you are on to something! Write down your WHY’S and keep them handy to reference.
4) Surround Yourself with the Right Tools
Surround yourself with the right tools and the right people.
Remind yourself of your goals by posting fitness quotes around your house, in the car (& on the fridge!). Hold on to your “before” photo and progress pictures to stay motivated. Soon you will see changes ARE happening. Keep those pictures on your smartphone to look at when you are tempted to fall off your program.
Get a support system by making your goals public and telling friends and family. Some people even post their fitness challenges on social media. Soon you will have a following of like-minded folks who cheer you when you post a healthy recipe or talk about your latest workout. Some people even do well getting counseling when struggling with emotional eating issues. Reach out for help where you need it.
5) Focus on Weekly Behavioral Goals Instead of Outcome Goals
You may have the outcome goal to lose 10 lbs, but it is very difficult to reach that goal without putting behaviors in place to achieve it. Pick 3-5 behavioral goals each week to enable you to reach your outcome goal. The behavioral goals should cover nutrition, exercise and even mindset. They should be manageable goals that challenge you to your upper limits to elicit change, but not be too overwhelming that they don’t have at least a 60% chance or more of being achieved. Motivation alone only gets you so far. Having a clear plan that can be modified based on how you do is the way to elicit change long term.
Some examples of behavioral goals… “I will strength train on Monday and Wednesday for 30 minutes.” (workout goal) “In addition, I will drink 8 glasses of water each day and reduce my soda from 8 cans to 1 can.” (nutrition goal). “I will write in my journal before bed (5-10 minutes) about my emotions related to stress eating.” (mindset goal) They can be modified weekly. Goals should be specific. Once the behaviors are in place, you can start to track the outcome (i.e. how much weight you lose). Then modify behaviors based on results.
6) Celebrate
Celebrate your successes! Even if everything doesn’t go as planned each week, acknowledge what went well. Focusing on the positive instead of beating yourself down for what didn’t go as planned will bring about more change. Remember lapses happen and are expected. Cut yourself some slack and be kind to yourself during the struggles. With continued effort you will find success and make your New Year’s Resolutions stick!
My favorite graphic. What success REALLY looks like.
