How to make better New Year’s resolutions
Is resolution-setting a thing of the past? No way. Don’t give up on setting New Year’s resolutions. But this year, do it the right way!
Push goals
“Push goals are the ones you have to push yourself to do; for example, going to the gym after work,” says Kira Lynne, a life coach and registered professional counselor. You do it one day, or a few, but consistency may drop. That is true especially when you start from being entirely sedentary.
Pull goals
“Pull goals, on the other hand, pertain to activities you enjoy doing (dance class, yoga in the park, walks with a friend), which makes it easier to stick to your plan, because you love the activity and look forward to it,” says Lynne.
But before you get started
Do you drink enough water? Do you get enough quality sleep? Is your food intake adequate for your needs, no matter what life stage you’re in?
Certain nutritional deficiencies or lifestyle habits can affect our energy levels, which undermine our progress and get in the way of the most carefully set resolutions.
If it feels like a lot, there’s good news: good habits “stick” to one another. Better sleep enables healthier eating habits, improved energy levels, and a happier mood too.
Failure comes with nuances
Inspirational stories can fire us up. We get a routine going, but then life happens, and we don’t show up for a whole week, or two months. Cue shame and feelings of inadequacy.
But there’s another way to look at it. “It is okay to fall off the wagon, and it’s not a sign of not putting enough effort or not being good enough,” says Lynne. “It’s important to know that when we want to make a change, it’s not [always] smooth sailing.” The opportunity to restart is always there!
Small steps for long-term goals
Break up a goal into doable steps. You were hoping for a half-hour jog, but you only have 10 minutes. Do it anyway, mark it as a win, and keep your big running dream alive. A challenging resolution can have a better chance of succeeding than settling for an easy one, because it pushes us to find ways to accomplish it.
Keeping track of things
Having an accountability partner is a great way to keep ourselves going, but, says Lynne, “rather than having that someone berate you for not keeping up, think of them as someone to have fun with.”
If you’re better on your own, go right ahead, but have a reward system in place. “Whenever you fit activity into your day, make a checkmark on the calendar using different colors for different activities, or different colored beads that would go in jars,” suggests Lynne.
When you reach a certain number of checkmarks or beads, reward yourself with something you like. It makes things fun while also creating positive brain conditioning.
By Daniela Ginta, MSc, NNCP
