Credit: Forbes
Welcome to 2021! The promise of a new year leads many people to set new goals for themselves to hopefully become a better person. We’re excited to start our new diet plans and/or exercise regimen, yet a vast majority of New Year resolutions are cut short by mid-January.
But why? Any number of reasons could factor into this, but in many cases, it comes down to two reasons: you didn’t have a realistic plan to achieve our resolution, or your resolution was too vague. When setting a resolution, you need to be smart and SMART, an acronym that stands for:
Credit: Harvard Health
- Specific. Give yourself concrete goals. Don’t just tell yourself you want to “lose weight,” say you want to lose 40 pounds by the end of the year. Get even more specific by breaking it down and saying you’ll lose three pounds a month. These give you something to actually strive for.
- Measurable. For an example such as weight loss, this is easy. Have regular check-ins to record your progress. Log your process into a journal or app to keep track of how you’re doing. There are a great number of things you can do to hold yourself accountable.
- Achievable. Let’s say you want to lose 100 pounds. If you set your goal as “lose 100 pounds,” you are far more likely to grow frustrated and lose motivation. Certainly keep this larger goal in the back of your mind, but put more achievable ones first. That way, if you overachieve you can celebrate, as opposed to punishing yourself for not meeting such a big goal.
- Relevant. Don’t pick certain goals just because someone told you to. Pick these goals because you know they will be good for you or they are something you actively want to achieve.
- Time-bound. Similar to setting an achievable goal, make sure you set a realistic timeline. Losing 40 pounds by the end of the year is far more manageable (and sustainable) than losing 40 pounds by the start of Lent. Give yourself the space to achieve your goals to the best of your ability, and set smaller goals to boost yourself.
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Being SMART about your goals not only helps you keep your resolutions, but develop habits. You may hit some hurdles along the way– perhaps you hit a weight loss plateau, or maybe you find you can’t lift as much weight as you’d like– but that just means re-evaluating your plan to better fit your lifestyle. Instead of punishing yourself about what you couldn’t achieve, reward yourself for what you were able to do in spite of your obstacles.
Flexibility is key to becoming the healthiest version of yourself. Be it because of a meeting, an event, or a physical limitation, some days you won’t be able to stick exactly to your goal. If you usually exercise for an hour but find you won’t have the time, exercise for as long as you can instead of giving up entirely. If you’re attending a party full of great food, don’t just throw caution to the wind or completely avoid the food. Instead, eat what you think will truly be good.
Credit: Eat This Not That
Another great way to stay on track is to have a support system. If you have stubborn weight you can’t seem to get rid of, our staff at Advanced Wellness and Rejuvenation is here to help. With medically supervised weight loss, you’ll find the solution to your stubborn weight. We tailor our plans to each and every client, because no people can find success from the exact same weight loss plan. Consider bioidentical hormone therapy or SculpSure to see the best results.
Contact us today to learn more about what we can to do help you become the healthiest, happiest version of yourself possible.
