Happy New Year!
New Year’s Day always brings a few traditions along with it – champagne at midnight, greens and black-eyed peas for lunch, the start of a new calendar, and – of course – New Year’s Resolutions.
It seems like the same resolutions are the most popular every year. Lose Weight. Exercise More. Eat Healthier. Resolutions are always easy to make, but tough to stick to – that’s why they keep coming around each January!
Setting blanket statements like these is often a recipe for disappointment.
For example, say you want to lose weight this year – is that as detailed as you’re going to get? By declaring your resolution with such an undefined goal, you are setting yourself for one of two scenarios:
1. You’ll lose a pound or two after your holiday eating dies down and you’ll pat yourself on the back for a job well done – but you need to ask yourself. Is that really what you meant when you said you wanted to lose weight?
2. You’ll lose weight, but without setting a very specific goal, you won’t get to feel that definite sense of accomplishment when the scale dips below your target number.
Either way, you will have an easier time reaching a set goal than a blanket statement.
This philosophy is true for all of the common New Year’s Resolutions. If you want to exercise more, give yourself a goal for the number of times you want to exercise each week. Start out by exercising two times a week for three weeks in a row. When you achieve that goal, reward yourself with a new pair of running shoes and set a new goal. By the end of the year, you’ll be amazed at your new workout routine.
The same goes for eating healthier. Make a list of healthy ingredients that you would like to work in your diet, and start slowly. Try a new recipe twice a week, then three times a week, until you have checked off every healthy ingredient on your list! And each time you upgrade – like from processed cheese dip to homemade guacamole – you get to rid your pantry of one more unhealthy ingredient.
Whatever your resolutions are this year, we want to help you keep them. Sign up for our weekly emails to save money on healthy foods, and stay tuned to our blog for more tips and success stories.
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What will your resolution be for 2012? Tell us below!
