Most of us make at least one resolution for the new year, and over half of us who make resolutions promise to eat healthier, exercise more, and lose weight. Unfortunately, most of us don't stick with our resolutions. Now why is that? Is it because most of us are lazy, commitment-phobic, fast food junkies? I'm sure there are people like that out there, but I'd say the real reason most of us fail at keeping our resolutions is because we don't set up systems that help us make permanent changes to our lifestyles.
Changing one's life habits is far more difficult than most people realize. Instead they join a gym, work out and diet like a fiend for the whole month of January, and then subsequently lose their steam because they are doing way too much work. The best kind of change is gradual, and it all starts with adjusting your attitude.
Change the Way You Approach Healthy Living
If you feel that exercise and eating healthy is more of a punishment for unhealthy behavior than a reward to your body, or that it's an obligation, or it's painful, you're not going to stick to it. So try looking at it this way: exercise and healthy eating boosts your energy and mood, allows you to commit time to yourself, and a chance to exercise could mean a chance to stop thinking about work, family, and the stress of your day.
It will be easier to keep up exercising and eating well if you look at it as a positive gift to yourself, and not a punishment.
Commit to Changing Your Lifestyle
Losing weight, getting in shape, and eating well are all lifetime prospects. You will never EVER stop working to maintain your fitness and weight. So before you go on your next New Year's diet, recognize that you'll need to change your lifestyle permanently to accommodate this goal.
You can start by keeping track of your current bad habits with a food/activity journal. Without changing anything at all, record what you do and what you eat for an entire week. Then, start replacing those bad habits with good ones, such as cutting down from eating four chocolate bars a week to three chocolate bars a week. Create viable alternatives for yourself, such as preparing your own lunch instead of eating out when you're at work.
The key is to make changes slowly, because your body and mind adapts most easily to small, regular changes than large ones.
Set Attainable Goals
Make sure that you set reasonable and MEASURABLE goals. Instead of saying "I want to lose weight and tone up," write down the amount of weight you want to lose, or the number of inches you want to take off your thighs. Set target dates for short-term and long-term goals. For example, if you want to lose 30 pounds, it is reasonable to lose that weight in about four months (healthy weight loss averages one to two pounds per week).
So your long-term goal is to lose 30 pounds (and keep it off), and your short-term goal would be to lose seven to eight pounds per month. Then once you've reached your goals, make new ones to keep yourself motivated and maintaining your weight.
Create a Game Plan
Set up an exercise and healthy eating routine. To set up a good routine, you'll need to devise a program that involves cardio, strength training, stretching, and a meal plan. There is a multitude of books and resources on the Internet that cover these topics in detail. Make sure you find information that is realistic and workable for your lifestyle. And don't fall for the quick fix gimmicks.
Set Up your Environment for Success
In spite of their best intentions, people are sometimes foiled by the little things that happen around them. So make sure your environment is conducive to your success.
· Ask friends and family members to help you so you have someone to be accountable to. For example, if you resolve to be more positive, ask them to gently remind you when you start talking negatively.
· Hire a personal trainer. A personal trainer can help you figure out goals that are reasonable for you, teach you proper exercise technique, keep you motivated, and give your exercise routine variety.
· Get someone to exercise with you.
· Reward yourself for achieving goals with non-food items like a massage, a vacation, or new clothes.
· Keep a workout bag packed at all times and prepare your meals in advance.
· Keep a fitness journal to track your workouts and progress.
· Change your program every 6 weeks to avoid plateaus.
· Re-visit your goals every six months and gauge your progress. If you're not reaching your goals, maybe you should change them to something more accessible.
a package deal
The important thing to remember is that exercising and eating right requires that you change your lifestyle. You have to change the way you think about exercise and eating, change the way you schedule your day and how you prioritize your tasks. It's a lot to ask when you sum it up, but if you make your changes small and manageable, the task doesn't have to appear so daunting. So make this the year you change the rest of your life!