New Year, New You – Setting Realistic Resolutions

Too often we put way too much pressure on ourselves to make a New Year's Resolution and more often than not we only stick to these resolutions for a few weeks in January until we drop them and go back to our regular routines and habits. We tend to fall off the wagon so to speak because the resolutions we have made for ourselves impose too much change to our daily routines way too fast. There are very few people who adapt easily to change, so why should we expect ourselves to change something so drastically in one day? Here are a few things to keep in mind when setting your New Year’s Resolution:

1. Instead of one big goal, set a few smaller goals – Think about it like climbing a mountain, if you just focus on the view from the top, you’ll miss out on all the beautiful views along the way. Setting a few smaller goals that will help you achieve your bigger goal will help decrease pressure and will allow you to feel accomplished each step of the way.
2. Set a realistic timeline – They say it takes three weeks of doing something on a regular basis to create a habit and we are here to tell you it takes much, much longer to change an aspect of your lifestyle. For example, if going to the gym 5x/week is your resolution, give yourself a month or two to go 2x/week, then bump it up to 3x/week for a month and so on until you reach a consistent 5x/week. Otherwise you will burn yourself out before you even start!
   
3. Be SPECIFIC! – Too often we hear individuals say “My resolution is to lose 50lbs this year” and that’s great, but how are you going to do it? Make sure you take the time to outline and plan the specific steps you are going to take to ensure you will reach your goal… have a back up plan too!
4. Learn from the past – Have you made your resolution to stop smoking for the past three years and you still haven’t quit? It’s time to look at why you haven’t been able to achieve your goal in the past and use that to better plan your attack for this year.
5. Be kind to yourself! – Making a change is never easy and it will not come without some perceived failures along the way. If you don’t hit the gym five times one week, or you eat two or three delicious donuts instead of one, don’t punish yourself. Change is hard, be kind to yourself and expect some slip ups!

Here at DEL.FIT we are so excited for what 2020 has to bring and we can’t wait to help you achieve your health and fitness goals! Have a wonderful and safe New Years Eve everyone!