Tip to Your Health: New Year, New You - Keep That Resolution this Time

Yes, it is that time of the year for New Year’s resolutions. Millions of people use the New Year to attempt a positive change in their lives. 7 million of those resolutions are health related. Some of the more popular resolutions are:

· Exercise more
· Eat better
· Stop smoking
· Drink less alcohol

We have put together 7 tips to help you stayed motivated and achieve your resolutions this year. We refer to these tips as the “SMARTER” method.

· Specific – it will be easier to act on a resolution if you know exactly what you have to do. Do yourself a favor and define exactly what you wish to do. i.e.:
o Smoke one cigarette less per week vs. Smoke less
o 10 lbs by June 1 vs. lose weight
o Eat oatmeal for breakfast

· Measurable – It should be very clear whether you met the objective or not. Quantitative methods are easiest to assess. Instead of judging how skinny you look when standing next to your sister, measure how many pounds you have lost the last four weeks. Keep a journal to track progress

· Attainable/Achievable – Stating that you will go to the gym 7 days a week may be difficult to follow. Even the best athletes in the world have rest days for their body to recover. You can safely and comfortably lose 2 pounds a week. To set a goal that you will lose 10 pounds a week is possible setting yourself up for failure.

· Realistic – Being realistic means recognizing factors that cannot be controlled. I often talk to people that want to look like models or Hollywood stars. No matter how great the results, it will never get you a job as a body double for a Victoria Secret model or Matthew McConaughey…sorry, even the experts at BWell Fit can’t work those kinds of miracles.

· Timed – Making your goal time based gives you something to strive for. It is not enough to say I will lose 10 pounds, try “I will lose 10 pounds by June 1st or my 10 year reunion in October”. That extra boost will help you stay on track.

· Expect struggles – Achieving anything can be difficult including changing your fitness and nutrition status quo. You will experience some not so good days and great days. Use the great days to keep you going on the days that you slip a little. Know that failure is not when you fall but it is when you stay down. If you fall, get up, brush yourself off and get on with it.

· Reward – Reward yourself when you do something great or reach a mile stone. I have heard some people saving the money saved kicking their smoking habit. They later used that money to do something they love such as a great vacation. Looking forward to something great will help you stay focused during the tough times.

The New Year gives us an opportunity and motivation to reflect on things that we would like to do better. Use these tips as tools to help make these positive changes.

New Year Resolution + SMARTER Method = Success