How many New Year’s resolutions have you kept? Only 8 percent of people who make resolutions actually succeed in achieving them. One reason for such low success rates is that we tend to think of these resolutions as short-term goals, rather than lifestyle changes.
Kick your fitness goals into high gear by treating them like lasting solutions rather than ways to assuage guilt over too many holiday treats. Here are 10 ways to transform your next year into a healthier one.
1. Make a Decision for Change
For some people, the only time they think about living healthy is when they go shopping for a new pair of jeans or a party dress. In that moment, they likely want to look different, but that’s not the same as deciding to embark on a permanent change.
You have to want the change not just in the dressing room, but also when the boss brings in doughnuts for a Friday morning meeting. When you make a decision for a lifestyle change, it’s easier to pass up those sugary treats.
2. Forget the Past
Don’t dwell on past failure or times when you weren’t able to totally complete your goals. Unlike other mistakes we can learn from, issues of self-control depend on how we remembered what happened, rather than what actually occurred. In fact, focusing on what feels like failure when it comes to self-control causes people to repeat the mistake of yesterday and indulge today.
When you begin a new goal for fitness, be it on Jan. 1 or Nov. 11, focus on what is happening today and leave yesterday behind.
3. Don’t Try to Do It All at Once
We need about 1,200 calories for our bodies to function. If you decide to hit your minimum and only eat 1,200 calories, it’ll look like you’ve lost weight, but you are really only shedding water. Your body is also hanging onto extra fat because it’s going into starvation mode and is afraid to let go of any excess. Deciding to lose a bunch of weight all at once isn’t only ill-advised, it’s impossible.