New Year, New You

How to Achieve Your Resolutions...err... Goals

First off, let me say congrats on making resolutions. However, instead of calling them resolutions, I'm going to start calling them goals because resolutions are rarely met, and goals usually are.  Sadly only 8% keep their resolutions. Why? Who knows. Maybe because resolutions are something that you want a permanent change to (i.e. smoking, etc), whereas goals are smaller and usually have a timeline set to them (i.e. lose 5 pounds by February).  In order to achieve a goal, it needs to be realistic and within YOUR control. A goal such as "I want my husband to drop 100lbs by February" is neither realistic or within your control. However if you say something like "I would like to lose 50lbs by June," that is within your control. I think the biggest factor in people failing at their resolutions, is that they don't break their ideas into chunks. Sure, you want to lose weight. But is that going to happen magically or are you going to do something to get there? Usually it takes several things (action plan) to get you to that BIG goal. So if weight loss is your goal, then you need to list the things that will help you achieve it such as 1) cutting out all soda, 2) working out 5x week for 30min, 3) no sugar, etc. If one of those seems unattainable, start even smaller. Cutting out sugar all together may seem impossible, and then suddenly you've 'failed.' Cut out sugar 1x a week, then keep increasing.  Another helpful thing...sharing! Post your goals on Facebook. Tell them to your friends and family. You will be more likely to achieve these things if you know others are watching. And finally, get some help with these goals! Chalene Johnson (girl crush!) has a great 30-day challenge called The Push (www.30daypush.com) which will help you tackle your goals. Sure, it seems a little cheesy, but trust me, it's well worth the whopping 4min a day you will spend on it, plus it's free :)