Are you thinking about reinventing yourself in 2019? Or, using the new year as a long overdue excuse to get rid of bad nutritional habits or improve your athletic training to maintain weight management? You’re not alone.
According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, in 2017, 41% of people made New Year’s resolutions. Can you guess which resolution was most popular? If you guessed losing weight or weight management, you are correct! (“Self-improvement” came in #2 and “work out more often” came in #7.)
Don’t set yourself up for failure in 2019 by vowing to make huge changes that will be hard to keep. Instead, follow a few suggestions for successfully making a new year’s resolution you can stick to – for the long haul.
- Focus on one aspect. If you want to change your life or your lifestyle, don’t try to change everything at once. It won’t work. Instead pick one area of your life to change to begin. Make it something concrete so you know exactly what change you’re planning to make. If you’re successful with the first change, you can go ahead and make another change after a month or so. By making small changes one after the other, you still have the chance to be a whole new you at the end of 2019 and it’s a much more realistic way of doing it.
- Pick a start date. You don’t have to make these changes on New Year’s Day. Pick a day when you know you’ll be well-rested, enthusiastic and surrounded by positive people who can help you stay on track.
- Put your heart into it. Go for it 100% beginning on your chosen start day. Make a commitment and write it down on a card. You just need one short phrase you can carry in your wallet, keep in your gym bag or display by your bed and/or on your bathroom mirror. For example, your mantra could be “I will exercise to improve my bone and joint health” or “I will go to the gym for athletic training twice a week.” Choose a place that you view the card often in order to give yourself positive reinforcement.
- Remember that nobody is perfect. Don’t become discouraged if you don’t immediately achieve your New Year’s resolutions or if you have a setback in your quest to maintain weight management. Losing weight is a journey; not a sprint. Weight loss won’t be permanently achieved overnight. (Wouldn’t it be great if you could eat a hot fudge sundae before bed and, by morning, lose 5 pounds?) The most important aspect of a resolution is that you keep trying.
Whatever your plans and goals are for 2019, I wish you luck! But, remember, it’s your life and you make your own luck. Decide what you want to accomplish in 2019, plan how to get it and go for it. I’ll definitely be cheering you on!
Fitness for Health creates unique exercise programs based on a person’s individual fitness goals. Want to lose weight or maintain weight management for adults or kids in 2019? Interested in toning your body? Aspiring to improve your athletic edge? No problem! Whether you are a young child or a senior citizen, Fitness for Health can you help you and your loved ones reach your full potential – and your New Year’s resolutions – this year. Visit www.FitnessForHealth.org to learn more.
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Tags: weight loss, weightloss, new year, resolution, new years resolution, nutrition, exercise, fitness, weight management, fitness exercise, athletic training