How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? We do hope that you are doing great, but we also know that it can be hard to keep up with them during the winter doldrums. To help, we have put together five tips for keeping New Year’s resolutions.
When it comes to resolutions, did you know that by February, one in three people who have made New Year’s resolutions have already given up on them? In fact, only about 8% of people report achieving their resolutions. So, if you are feeling a little overwhelmed by your resolutions, you are not alone. In the post-holiday slump, it is easy to feel a little anxious if you are unable to keep up on your resolutions as the frustrations of unused gym memberships begin to creep into your head. The real trick with New Year’s resolutions is to keep them in perspective. They are not meant to be full sweeping changes. Rather, they are an opportunity to reflect on last year and make positive lifestyle changes through small and attainable goals throughout the year instead of one big and overwhelming goal. It is about the act of recognizing the need to change and working toward that goal, one step at time.
Start Small
Make resolutions you think you can keep. If your goal is to exercise more frequently (which is about 14% of all resolutions), instead of striving to work out seven days a week, do three or four days. This will help keep your resolution more attainable. If you want to diet and eat healthier, simply replace dessert with a healthy option like fruit or something else you enjoy. Then you will not feel that your diet is a punishment.
One Behavior at a Time
Most unhealthy behaviors have taken root over a long period of time. So, to expect that you can replace them with healthy behaviors immediately is simply not reasonable. It will take time and there will be days where you are better than others in working on the change. You don’t have to reassess everything in your life, instead, just focus on working on changing one behavior at a time.
Share with Friends and Family
One of the best ways to keep going with your resolutions is to share them with your friends or family. Let them know how you are doing, where you are succeeding and where you need help. You can even join a group that can help you reach your goals. Doing this will help you feel that you are not alone and that you have a team to help you through your goal.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
You are not going to be perfect. Every now and then you will have a misstep. That is OK and normal. Do not give up on your goal if you miss a week of exercise or had a brownie. Life happens.
Ask for Help
If you feel overwhelmed attaining your goals, you can ask for help. Seek out others who may have similar goals and also need help. You can help motivate each other. But, if you are taking on too much stress from your goals, you may want to ask for help from a professional psychologist who can provide you with ways to adjust your goals so that they are more attainable and help you change unhealthy behaviors.
How to Use This Information
At Major, our goal is for all of our customers to have great quality of life. We hope these tips will help when it comes to keeping your New Year’s resolutions. And, when it comes to the comfort and indoor air quality, whether at home or in a commercial facility, call 303-424-1622 or schedule online and we will come out and perform a free systems evaluation.
