Statistics would show that over 85% of the people reading this blog are now struggling to keep their focus on their New Year's resolutions or the goals that were made at the beginning of the year. It happens every year. With great intentions, on January 1st we make our yearly lofty goals. We are excited about them and diligently do everything we need to do to progress. Around the middle of January we begin to weaver in our determination. Suddenly, that goal was never achievable inthe first place so we lower the exprectations. A few weeks later we are focused on other things in our lives and our goals have went off to Never Never Land to be rehashed the following year.
You ask yourself, "What went wrong?" "Why can't I stick to my goals or resolutions?”
First, let me state that I do not have all the answers. However, as many of you know I am very goal oriented. I usually achieve almost everything I set my sights on as long as I create a plan and write it down. I live for goals (and achieving them). Although, I don't believe you have to be like this to achieve your goals (although it does help sometimes!), I do believe there are three secrets to achieving goals. The first secret is to write your goals down and put them in a place where you can see them every singe day. The second secret is to have a buddy that will keep you accountable. And the third secret is to take it slow.
Way too often we try to change ourselves too much too fast.
I want to exercise an hour at the gym every day
I want to lose 2-3 lbs. a week
I want to eat a low fat, low carb, and low salt healthy diet
I want to drink 8 glasses of water every day
I want to eat 6 servings of fruits and vegetables
I want to do all of the above right now! (yep, been there, done this one. Failed miserably)
In 2007 I made a goal to lose enough weight to get down into my "healthy" weight range. After losing 35 lbs. over 6 months, I realized that the only way I was able to accomplish the lose was to take it slow and concentrate on one SMALL change very few weeks. I started out with exercising 3 days a week. Then it was shooting for 3 fruits / veggies a day. Then came lowering my salt intake. Then it was lowering my carb intake (I was diabetic at the time). Each change was incorporated into my daily life and only then did I take on another change.
It is unrealistic to go from exercising on hour every other week to an hour every day. Start with the goal of 1 or 2 days a week. Then once that is comfortable, shoot for 3 or 4. Maybe start out with only 30 minutes a few times a week and work up to 45 minutes.
It is unrealistic to go from eating a fat filled, salt crusted, carb intensive diet to a low carb, low salt, low fat diet over night. It is better to focus on one aspect and get comfortable with that change then move on to the next aspect. Some things (like carbs for me) may take many small changes over time to achieve.
I believe that only by making changes gradually do you have the best chance to making those lofty changes permanent and sticking to them instead of having your goals or resolutions fall by the waist side.
What do you think? Do you have any secrets on how to stick to your goals and resolutions?
Ms. Topping
2 comments:
I have that figured out. I do not make News Years Resolutions at all. I make goals for myself based on my own realization of my needs. I then set the start date according to factors present in the goal itself. Of course all these points are good, and this is just an alternate way of looking at it, but the more failures a person creates for themselves, the more failure becomes "just another empty personal promise". I do not allow the world to dictate any more of my life than I have to. That is why I chose ATA Family in the first place, and in this I will not fail.
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