Successful resolutions for health!

As 2015 draws to an end, folks across the globe may be planning their resolutions to begin on January 1st as they usher in a new year. As a health professional, I am 100% supportive of New Year’s resolutions, whether they are successful or not, mostly because I believe that anything that motivates a person to eat healthy and be more active is crucial for helping people change unhealthy habits. 

I also understand the reality that few people are able to stick with their resolutions for very long. Knowing how difficult it is to change behavior, I wanted to provide some tips to help everyone reach their goals and resolutions for 2016, so read below to find out ways to help you stick with your own resolutions and improve your health next year!

• Simplicity

First and foremost, keep your resolutions simple. If your resolution is to run a marathon but you currently do not even work out once a week, you might need to create a simpler goal, such as walking a mile or two each week, which would be easier to accomplish yet still provide beneficial health effects. Simple resolutions are easier to remember.

• Short and sweet

Secondly, avoid giving up on your resolutions by keeping them short. A complicated resolution, such as losing 25 pounds of fat while training for a triathlon in 6 months, becomes difficult to achieve when there are many moving parts that take a long time. Rather, aim for short resolutions that you can see through the end. For example, healthy weight loss occurs gradually, so if your goal is to drop some weight, aim to lose 1-2 pounds each week, rather than shooting for 30 pounds over several months.  The short resolutions will allow you to see progress that can help keep you motivated.

• Attainable

To ensure that you are successful, make sure your resolution is achievable. Too many New Year’s resolutions are abandoned because they are too lofty. It is great if you want to join a gym and work out there every day, but is that realistic? Consider your job, chores and children, etc., and decide what is feasible when thinking about your resolution.

• Have a goal

One of the most important things you can do to ensure you keep your resolutions is to have a specific goal in mind. The resolution to ‘lose weight’ is vague; the resolution to ‘lose 10 pounds by June’ allows you to see if you were successful. The resolution to ‘work out more’ is not very specific, but the resolution to ‘work out 3 days each week for one month’ is a goal you can shoot for. And in addition to having a goal, create a reward system to treat yourself when achieving your goal! The reward provides extra motivation to keep your resolution, just make sure it does not contradict the resolution itself!

• Never give up

Lastly, allow yourself a little room for failure. No one is perfect and even the most diligent person is bound to slip up and forget their resolution once in a while. It is ok to forget or take a break from your resolution, just as long as you remember to keep trying and be persistent!

Below are some examples of simple resolutions that are simple, short, and attainable, and can improve your health. Give them a try if you need an idea for a resolution next year.

• Walk 10-15 minutes each evening after supper

• Eat at least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable per day

• Drink 1 cup of green tea each day

• Only eat sweets once per week

• Only drink alcohol 1 day per week

• Eat oatmeal for breakfast 3 days per week

• Drink a glass of water before each meal

Happy New Year and good luck in 2016!