To be honest, most of my new year’s resolutions have always failed. They’ve failed to the point where I just stopped making them altogether. Goals of “no more candy” were quickly ruined by CityCo, and “going running every week” became more like “going walking on a treadmill once in a while.” It turns out that I made a few mistakes when planning my resolutions, but luckily, I’ve discovered some ways for you to avoid making the same ones!
1. Make Goals Specific
Know what you want to achieve! It’s impossible to plan a course of action without specifically stating what you want your goal to be. Instead of “stop smoking,” make your resolution to be “smoke one less cigarette every week until you stop.” That way, it’s easier to keep track of your progress!
2. Take things step-by-step
Cutting sugar and sweets out of your diet, for example, has been a longtime goal of mine. I’ve come to realize that quitting cold turkey only makes me crave them more, and even binge when I feel like I’ve been eating well. Now, I find ways of getting around my natural sweet tooth. Eating dark chocolate-covered almonds or getting a skinny vanilla latte, for example, gets me the sugar high I need for a healthier, smaller-calorie intake. Eventually I might even be able to train my body to crave fruits and veggies instead of processed sugar.
3. Be realistic with your goals
Planning to lose 50 pounds by the end of the month is not only ridiculous, but super unhealthy. Make goals that are achievable for the state you are in. If you have never run on a treadmill before, don’t set a goal of running 5 miles by next week! You will only end up letting yourself down and accomplishing nothing.
4. Get your friends involved
The best way to motivate yourself: get your friends in on the fun! This especially works at the Plex, where you work harder when there are other people working out around you. Make sure to tell them of your plans, because they can be there not only for moral support, but to catch you before you make a mistake. A support group is key!
5. Find out what is keeping you from achieving your goals
Before you can succeed, you need to establish for yourself what obstacles you need to overcome. Just throwing yourself into something without any knowledge of what you’re doing will only make you disappointed when you fail. To take one current example, many college students wonder why they aren’t losing weight even though they work out constantly, and they forget about their massive beer (and calorie) intake on the weekends. Get all of your bases covered and you will succeed.
6. Chart your success!
Being able to physically see your progress is a huge motivator for many people. A colorful calendar, or something similar, will always be there to remind you of what a great job you’re doing.
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