Glasses are clinging, confetti is flying and the ball is dropping in Time Square. The new year is fast approaching and a resolution may be a little more complicated than you think.
How do you set a reasonable resolution? And how do you achieve it?
Whether it’s a fitness- , work- or personal life-related goal, there are a few good tips to follow to keep you on a healthy, sustainable path for rising to the occasion in 2019:
“You want the goals to be reasonable within reasonable time frame,” said Larry Schallert, assistant director of the Student Health Wellness and Mental Health Program at College of the Canyons.
“Create a SMART goal,” said Catherine Francisco, Clinical Integration Coordinator with Henry Mayo Fitness and Health. Smart is an acronym for “Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timebound,” she added.
“Small steps are probably bigger than taking large steps,” Schallert said. “Try to eliminate the distractions that keep you from achieving your goals.”
“Any type of accomplishment is positive for your mental health,” he said. “Pay attention to the positive things, tap into your creative side or kindness side. Doing some kind things for others, is not a difficult goal to achieve.”
Write your goals down and look at them, Schallert and Francisco agreed.
Share them with others around you, they can keep you accountable.
“A little nudge from your friends doesn’t hurt,” Schallert said.
Nor does tying your goal to a purpose. Finding a reason why you want to achieve your goal can help keep you inspired to achieve.
“What does that mean for you?” said Francisco. “It should have some type of meaning towards yourself.”
Nearly half (45 percent) of people make the resolution to lose weight, according to www.statista.com.
Fitness Goals
“Evidence shows that people who lose weight gradually and steadily are more successful at keeping weight off,” according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. “Healthy weight loss isn’t just about a “diet” or “program.” It’s about an ongoing lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits.”
And setting small goals such as “I’m going to lose this much weight in the next 3 months,” help you through to reach the bigger picture.
“One to two pounds a week is a healthy habit,” Francisco said. “It is maintaining it, it is a lifestyle change.”
“You feel empowered after achieving your goal,” Francisco said. “It is a positive mindset.”
Even if you aren’t able to achieve your goal, you’re 10 steps ahead of where you were in the past, she said.
