Carefully Consider Your New Year's Resolutions
By Brandi Goodman
You don't have to make all your resolutions on New Year's night. Take some time and carefully consider the resolutions you really want to make for the new year. Spend a few weeks or more contemplating your real goals for yourself and come up with valid options for meeting them.
Make Them Matter
An objective that actually matters to you is what you should strive to reach. Just saying one to say one or because other people have made the same statement won't be enough. You'll be far more likely to fail if it's something your heart isn't actually in. If you truly want to get healthier a resolution about choosing better foods or giving up alcohol could be where you start.
Make Them Realistic
It isn't realistic to say you're going to lose 150 pounds by this time next year. It may possibly be done, but it's far too big of a weight loss goal to focus on in just one year's time. You should make it a bit more realistic, especially if you know you may struggle at times and it's been hard for you to lose weight in the past. A goal of 80 pounds may be a better start, and if you lose more -- great!
Make Them Small
Tying in with being unrealistic -- you want goals that are small. They shouldn't be overly ambitious with little hope of actually achieving them. Make multiple small goals that lead toward a bigger final goal. It will help you to see progress at each step you reach and motivate you to continue. Losing 100 pounds may not be feasible for you, but going down four dress sizes might be. Start by saying you want to go down one dress at a time until you reach that final goal. You can celebrate every time you get to the next point.
Make Sure You Have the Tools to Achieve Them
Just because you want to lose weight, quit smoking, or get fit doesn't mean you'll be able to without the right resources. Part of making the right goals is also making sure you'll have the tools to achieve them. Working on weight loss or getting fit will mean having some gym equipment or basic exercise tools available to you. You'll need to be sure you have the money to swap out unhealthy foods for healthier ones. Get things in place so you can be sure this goal you're setting can really be reached.
New Year's resolutions should be for yourself. Don't make them based on other people's opinions or what others are doing. You need to make sure you take time to carefully consider what it is you really hope to achieve for yourself. Setting smaller, realistic goals that lead you on the right path toward a larger goal is beneficial.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Indianapolis, Ind.