Make Your Best New Year’s Resolution Ever
January 1st is just ahead. It’s that time of year when we reflect on the year past, look forward to the year ahead, and make a New Year’s resolution, or two, filled with hope and promise. What will your resolution be?
It’s easy to make resolutions automatically, without taking the time to think about what we want to do or whether those goals are achievable. This approach is one reason many resolutions fall by the wayside once February rolls around. So, as you set your goals for this year, here’s how to make choices that are right for you and keep them alive throughout the year.
Pick a Should and a Want
There are the things we should do and the things we want to do. Think about both kinds of resolutions and choose one of each. Don’t pick the first thing you think of unless it’s something that you’ve wanted to do for a long time and you need January 1 to give you a motivational kick.
Most people automatically go with a should: I should exercise; I should follow a weight loss eating plan; I should be more organized; I should cut back on junk food, but it’s harder to follow through on what you should do than what you want to do. The word “should” implies drudgery. Reframe those goals with a positive association and drive: I am going to do strength training as part of a whole body workout plan this year because I know it will give me more energy and make me feel better every day.
Wants might include: I want to take time to exercise this year; I want to plant a vegetable garden, so I’ll be more likely to follow a healthy eating plan; I want to hike with my grandkids. It’s easier to feel motivated to accomplish a want.
Make Your Resolutions Achievable
Whether a should or a want, your resolutions need to be specific and achievable. People often pick goals that are the hardest to achieve. Make a menu of options—a range of resolutions from easy to more challenging—and then choose something you really can do. It could be doing more of something you are already doing, like going to a gym designed for women, like Curves or trying a new workout program like MyCurves On Demand.
Perhaps you want to increase the frequency of your full body workouts in order to be able to live your best life. If you’re going to Curves two times a week, for example, commit to adding a third or even fourth workout. Shoot for realistic wants as well. If you’ve always wanted to hike a fourteener in the Rockies, and you haven’t hiked much farther than the trail in your community park, you might want to set your sights a bit lower for your resolution.
Follow through to Success
Once you’ve chosen your resolutions, you need to think through the specifics of how you are going to follow through, how you will monitor your progress, and how you will sustain weight loss encouragement along the way. Write a note in your calendar on the first of every month to check in with yourself and see how you’re doing, and if you’re on track with your fitness relationship goals, celebrate: make a date to meet for coffee with a friend, buy new workout clothes, go to the movies. Rewards give us the weight loss motivation we need to maintain our positive behaviors. And remember, because the full body workout at Curves is so social, and you go through the circuit next to like-minded women who are trying to stick to their resolutions just like you, the atmosphere at Curves can boost your weight loss motivation even higher.
If you’ve slipped up here and there, take a few minutes to do some problem solving. Think about the successes you had in the past month and think about the circumstances that helped you succeed and stay on track with your resolutions, be they to stick with a whole body workout or start a weight loss eating plan. Don’t waste time beating yourself up; all you can do is move forward. Try to replicate them next month, and once you’re back on track, celebrate.
And don’t forget to share your strength resolutions with your Curves Coach – she can help you stay on track, boost your weight loss motivation, and meet or exceed your fitness relationship goals. Next December, you’ll be able to look back at what you’ve accomplished with the help of weight loss encouragement and health and exercise tips and say, “it was a very good year.”
Your Curves Coach is there to lead you through every gym workout. With your Curves Coach success is within reach. Visit ‘Why Curves’ to find out more about Curves women’s only gyms and our full body workout on the Curves Circuit, or find your local Curves and sign up today!
