How to Maintain New Years Goals and Resolutions
Picture this: Your New Year’s resolution was to get fit and healthy.
To do this, you vowed to work out each and every morning at 7am. You vowed to eat only salad and healthy foods, and absolutely no junk food. You thought, “if I follow this plan, I will be a new person!” and you were excited to do it.
For the first few days, things were easy! You bounced out of bed each morning excited to get to the gym and feel great. You stayed away from fast food, although it was tempting.
You were truly thinking like the person you wanted to become.
But today, on the 12th day, you wake up with a cough. You don’t feel like going to the gym. Your muscles are aching from all the hard work you’ve done so far and you’re tired. You also feel extremely hungry. After an endless back-and-forth in your mind and painful deliberation, you decide that maybe you can have just one day a week off. You never step foot into the gym again.
And so it begins. If this process sounds all too common to you, join the club. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians set New Year’s Resolutions that they don’t keep.
So, how do we stay motivated despite the temptation and adversity that comes our way around the second week?
1. Double check your goals:
Are they sustainable enough for you to continue throughout the year? If not, it’s not too late to make modifications that are more realistic with your lifestyle. Realistic goals increase your likelihood to stick to the plan and continue until December.
2. Check your support system:
Are your friends sabotaging your success by encouraging you to eat fast food? Is your family making fun of your goals? If so, they aren’t the right people to spend time with right now. Surround yourself with positive people who unconditionally support your goals.
3. Remind yourself of the end result:
Because most resolutions don’t have immediate results, we need to remind ourselves of what we’re working towards. Display a picture of yourself at your goal weight, cut out pictures of your dream vacation destination, or write yourself an offer letter at your dream career.
