Give the “All-Year Resolutions” a Try!

Don't Overwhelm Yourself at the Beginning

You wrote out your list of resolutions and it looks like a tall order, but this is the year you’re definitely going to follow through with them all. But January and February come and go and half of them have been justified into oblivion. You catch a bad case of “excusitis” - we have all gone through it.

Making changes is a process, one that requires consistency. When you leave things until the last minute you get overwhelmed. Instead, if you start out slowly, making a few changes at a time, you gain momentum and are able to enjoy the process, making sure you accomplish all of your goals.

Goal setting at the beginning of the year can be very overwhelming. However, if you set out a timeline that encompasses the entire year you can celebrate all the mini-goals you accomplish along the way. There is no rush to make up for lost time, which I think is the feeling a lot of people have around the New Year. You are where you are in life and there’s no making up for lost time, but you can make changes and add things to your life – slowly!

Look back at your list of resolutions and pick one or two things to focus on for the next month. Build systems to help you achieve those two things – let’s say you want to drink more water and start going to bed earlier. Systems that help you drink more water are: carrying a water bottle with you most of the time, buying flavored water until you adjust to regular water, writing post-its in places that will remind you, etc. Systems to help you get to sleep earlier are: setting an alarm for when it’s time for you to start preparing for bed, having a ritual that relaxes you, reading a favorite book each night, etc. Systems are the key to achieving goals when life gets a little hectic, as it always does.

As you consistently achieve your mini-goals, you’ll start having success and seeing results. Once these things start to become habits and you feel comfortable with them, tackle a couple other goals from your list. Slowly as the year progresses, you’ll have more and more goals incorporated into your everyday lifestyle, not causing you stress and leaving you overwhelmed.

On January 1, 2013 you’ll wake up excited and happy to achieve even more. Have fun! 

Kelly, Ellis, Fitness Director