Tuesday, January 3, 2012
I always enjoy checking out what other's New Years resolutions are. I mean, what better way to get yourself motivated, right? But as time passes and the excitement of the new year fades, so do the resolutions. Only around 1 in 5 people are actually able to keep up with their New Year's resolutions. Here are some of the statistics I found:
But here is the downside:
- Around 65% of American adults make more than one resolution.
- The most popular resolutions include weight loss, exercise, quitting smoking and money management as well as debt reduction.
But here is the downside:
- As mentioned before, only about one in five people are able to stick to their resolution.
- Three in five people drop their resolution within six months.
- 35% of people don’t even successfully begin their proposed resolutions.
With that said, here are a few tips to help keep you motivated through January as well as the rest of 2012.
Be Realistic
One of the most important things you can do when making your new years resolutions is to be honest with yourself. Don't create goals and resolutions that you won't be able to keep up with in a few months from now.
For example, say you joined a gym, as so many of us do. Your goal is to work out 4 times a week. While that may work for the month of January when not a lot is going on... do you think that your resolutions are something that you will still be able to continue on in say, spring when things pick up again?
the bottom line is, start off slowly and be realistic. It gives you a better chance of achieving the resolutions you set in place.
Hold Yourself Accountable
Now that you've set realistic resolutions, hold yourself accountable for them. Here is an example of one of my resolutions. As silly as it sounds, I vowed to have only one sweet a day (This was after eating over a dozen cookies in one day over the holiday break and making myself sick.) I set that rule for several reasons. No one needs to eat a dozen cookies a day. It's unhealthy and I also have worked really hard to get back into shape after having my son last year and I don't want all that hard work to be for not. By not cheating and having "just two sweets a day," I am holding myself accountable to stick by my resolution. Because in the long run, I'd only be cheating myself and exacerbating the problem. This can also work on much greater resolutions such as quitting smoking or use of alcohol. Reward Youself Periodically
Research shows that in the long term, the pleasure of victory is a better incentive than the agony of defeat."Punishing" yourself for not sticking to something is a great way to set yourself up for failure. Instead, I suggest you reward yourself for sticking to your resolutions and focus on the benefits of the change created. For instance, if your goal is to drink less or lose weight, treat yourself to something nice each time you reach a successful milestone. Just don't treat yourself with what you are working against, like a huge dessert when you are trying to lose weight or a night out at a bar if you are trying to cut back on drinking. Keep a positive attitude.
If you happen to slip up on your resolution, avoid beating yourself up over it. Everyone makes mistakes but if you keep your head up and keep working on your resolution, you will get better over time. Also avoiding the words "I can't" can really benefit you.For some people, trying to moderate bad habits is not achievable or takes more effort than abstaining altogether — as the philosopher St. Augustine put it, "Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation." Recognizing this by trying and failing can also be a critical step toward behavior change.
Now that you've set realistic resolutions, hold yourself accountable for them. Here is an example of one of my resolutions. As silly as it sounds, I vowed to have only one sweet a day (This was after eating over a dozen cookies in one day over the holiday break and making myself sick.) I set that rule for several reasons. No one needs to eat a dozen cookies a day. It's unhealthy and I also have worked really hard to get back into shape after having my son last year and I don't want all that hard work to be for not. By not cheating and having "just two sweets a day," I am holding myself accountable to stick by my resolution. Because in the long run, I'd only be cheating myself and exacerbating the problem. This can also work on much greater resolutions such as quitting smoking or use of alcohol. Reward Youself Periodically
Research shows that in the long term, the pleasure of victory is a better incentive than the agony of defeat."Punishing" yourself for not sticking to something is a great way to set yourself up for failure. Instead, I suggest you reward yourself for sticking to your resolutions and focus on the benefits of the change created. For instance, if your goal is to drink less or lose weight, treat yourself to something nice each time you reach a successful milestone. Just don't treat yourself with what you are working against, like a huge dessert when you are trying to lose weight or a night out at a bar if you are trying to cut back on drinking. Keep a positive attitude.
If you happen to slip up on your resolution, avoid beating yourself up over it. Everyone makes mistakes but if you keep your head up and keep working on your resolution, you will get better over time. Also avoiding the words "I can't" can really benefit you.For some people, trying to moderate bad habits is not achievable or takes more effort than abstaining altogether — as the philosopher St. Augustine put it, "Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation." Recognizing this by trying and failing can also be a critical step toward behavior change.
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