2010 is not only a new year—it’s a new decade! Perfect for making your new year resolution list and getting ready to tackle it!
Not to be a party pooper, though, but unless you are part of a very small minority of people, you probably won’t keep your new year resolutions past the first few months, let alone the entire year. It’s not necessarily because you don’t want to keep them or didn’t have good intentions to begin with; many times it’s because the resolutions are too big to handle and you got overwhelmed and lost time and interest in keeping them. But this coming year’s resolutions don’t have to end up on the wayside.
With 2010 coming on, your first resolution you can set is to keep all your resolutions. Here are a few ways how.
- Set overall goals for the year. Examples include resolutions such as I will lose 100 pounds. I will start eating healthy. I will start exercising five times a week. I will achieve six pack abs. I will become flexible. I will shorten my best marathon time. Just general statements which set out your ultimate achievements.
- Set mini goals. This is where you actually work out how you will get to your main goal. Your overall goal for the year can be pretty intimidating at first. Going from coach potato to exercising five days a week can seem impossible after the first week or two of trying. So set mini goals which are easier to achieve and which work yourself up to your main goal. Setting up mini goals will take good forethought and planning. Depending on the length of your attention span, set goals for a quarter year, month, or even week at a time. For instance, your goal of 100 pounds could be sectioned down into 25 pounds a quarter year. Or a smidge over 8 pounds a month. Or about 2 pounds a week. These goals are small, but they really add up! And it doesn’t make shedding 100 sound quite as challenging anymore. Eating healthy may start with limiting your coke intake to only one a day, rather than three. From there, you can work down to one every other day, then diet cokes, and then none whatsoever. There are so many small options for you to work through to get to your main goal.
- Post your goals where you will be constantly seeing them. After you have your goals planned out, draw up a contract for yourself and sign it, make out a calendar with your mini goals written on them, whatever structure you like best. Then post them up on your fridge, bathroom mirror, bedroom wall, or office table. Or all of them. Wherever you will be always reminded.
- Plan your accountability. You know the ways you are best kept accountable. Maybe it’s through a best friend, your spouse, your special somebody, your sibling. Or maybe it’s by telling as many people as you can. Or maybe it’s by blogging, facebooking, or tweeting your goals.
So take some time before New Year’s Day hits to really think through your goals. And then leave a comment here of what your diet and exercise goals are this year. It’s part of the first steps to getting you motivated to a healthier you this 2010!
Stay posted here for more new year resolution tips and encouragements--throughout the year.
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