It’s a new month, a new year and a new chance to tackle all your personal goals! Many people use the month of January to start fresh but find themselves losing steam after a few months. Don’t let that image of the typical “New Year’s Resolutioner” slow you down; keep your momentum up all year long! Here are some simple “resolutions” for the year to improve your overall health.
Goals or “Resolutions”
● Drink more water (shoot for at least half a gallon per day).
● Walk more. Try parking a row farther away than normal to get some extra steps or take the stairs instead of the elevator.
● Stop drinking soda. If you’re a heavy soda drinker, start by limiting yourself to one per day, then one per week, etc. until you are able to go without.
● Incorporate a vegetable with each meal. Every meal you eat should have a variety of color. This is easy to achieve with a vegetable, such as broccoli, carrots, green beans, etc.
● Eliminate fast food. While it can be fast and easy when you are on the go, avoid fast food. Instead, pack a healthy lunch or visit a local restaurant and pick up a salad to-go.
All of the goals listed above are relatively small changes to your daily routine, but they all can have a big impact on your health! Some may be more challenging than others for you, but if you “mess up” don’t be discouraged and quit. Keep going! One bad day or one bad week doesn’t mean you can’t restart again and get back on track. Here are some tips on how to keep up your motivation:
Maintaining Your Goals
● Set specific goals. For example, instead of saying, “I want to drink more water” say “I want to be able to refill my water bottle every hour and a half.”
● Push through your weight loss plateau. Hitting a plateau is just a part of the weight loss journey and many people give up at this point. Switch up your workouts and power through!
● Enjoy cardio. Doing cardio is a great way to keep your heart healthy and shed some extra pounds, but a lot of people absolutely hate it. If you don’t enjoy running, don’t do it! Walk on an incline or have a dance party instead, just do something to get your heart rate up.
● Sleep more. Sleeping too little can increase your appetite or make you too tired to perform well in the gym. Figure out what amount of sleep works best for you and stick to it. Take melatonin if you need help regulating your sleep cycle or set a sleep alarm each night that reminds you to go to bed.
● Keep healthy foods within reach. To ensure you’re reaching for something healthy when you get a craving or need something to snack on, prepare healthy foods and keep them nearby. If you aren’t prepared, it will be much easier to grab a bag of chips instead.
Don’t lose motivation if you aren’t seeing the results you want right away. All good things take time, and your health is certainly worth it. You’ve got this!