Happy New Year!!
Remember all the times you told yourself it was the holidays, so it was ok to eat whatever you wanted, stop exercising, and just simply indulge? Well, your time is up! It's time now to get serious about your commitment to a healthier lifestyle. Here are 5 helpful ways to set a great goal and achieve it...
5 Tips for Keeping Your New Year's Resolutions
Make your goals SMART!
Specific*Measurable*Attainable*Realistic*Timely
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A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W" questions: Who, What, When, Where, Which, Why.
Instead of…”I want to get in shape.”
Try…”I'll do cardio and strength training 3 times per week.”
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Establish criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much will I exercise? How many times per week? How will I know when it is accomplished?
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You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.
For instance, if you aim to lose 20 lbs in one week, we all know that isn't achievable. But setting a goal to lose 1 lb and when you've achieved that, aiming to lose another pound, will keep it achievable for you.
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To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force.
For example, it may be more realistic to set a goal of eating a piece of fruit each day instead of one sweet item. You can then choose to work towards reducing the amount of sweet products gradually as this feels realistic for you.
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Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, in three months, after nine months. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.
If you don't set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there's no urgency to start taking action now.
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