New Year's Resolutions That Last

Tired of making New Year's Resolutions that are impossible to keep past January?  We allknow how that feels.  That’s why it’s so important to make reasonable goals you can stick with.

This year, make goals that are SMART:

SPECIFIC –Write down your goals and be as specific as you can.  Setting a goal that you will “eat healthier” is too general and often harder to achieve.  Instead, set a goal to “eat at least two fruits and three vegetables a day” or to “switch from whole milk to 2% milk.”  This will help you create an action plan.

MEANINGFUL – Think about your goal and what’ll be meaningful to you.  Don’t just make a “weight loss” goal or a goal to “give up your favorite treat” because that’s what everyone else does.  Make a goal that’s important to you and that you feel will improve your life.

AWARD - Set up steps to reach your goal and award yourself when you get to each step.  This helps to keep motivation strong.  Remember, food should not be used as a reward.  Instead, give yourself something that makes you feel good like a massage, buying a new outfit, or a movie night with friends and family.

REALISTIC – Small steps equal big success.  Remember that you can always make a second goal once the first is achieved, but if you set your standards too high, you might be setting yourself up for failure.

TOTAL BODY – Being healthy is more than just how much you weigh, it’s also about feeling good, physically, emotionally, and socially.  Total body goals can be something as simple as setting a goal to spend a little time each day for you.  Take a walk, soak in a bubble bath, call a friend, get a manicure, or just flip on the television to catch your favorite show.

Whatever your goal, remember be SMART and make reasonable goals you can stick with.