It's January 13th, do you know where your New Year's Resolutions are?
You got ready for 2013 by swearing you were going to lose weight and make it a healthy one, yet 2 weeks in if you're reading this, there's a pretty good chance that you've already thrown in the towel. So why is it that New Year's Resolutions generally seem not to work? And, more importantly, what can we do about it?
There's something about the prospect of a new year and starting with a clean slate that makes it hard to resist making a New Year's Resolution and swearing you're going to turn over a new leaf. And it's not necessarily a bad thing to stop and take a good hard look at where you are with your healthy habits and weight loss at a logical point and promise to do better.
- Lose 50 pounds
- Go to the gym 7 days a week
- Never eat french fries
You're pretty much setting yourself up for failure.
Why? Because first of all your goals are not SMART goals. No, I'm not trying to rank you out by saying you're not smart. For a goal to have a chance of being successful, it has to include the following factors covered by the acronym SMART. Let's look at the "lose 50 pounds" goal:
- Specific--just how are you going to lose the 50 pounds (what are the steps and what's your plan)?
- Measurable--how will you measure this (sure a scale, but how often and when will you weigh yourself)?
- Attainable--is this something that's doable (are you trying to take on too much)?
- Realistic--do you need to lose 50 pounds (maybe you need to lose more or less than that)?
- Time-Bound--when are you going to lose the weight (are you trying to do it in a month, 2 years)?
So a better goal would be to say:
"I want to lose 50 pounds over the course of 2013, by losing an average of a pound a week, weighing myself every Monday morning, cutting 250 calories a day and burning 250 calories a day."
The second reason that New year's Resolutions don't work is exactly because of item #1--there's usually no specific plan associated with them. How do you succeed with losing 50 pounds if you don't have the foggiest idea of how you're going to achieve it? Even the goal above that has the SMART goals factors in it still assumes you know how to cut 250 calories from your daily consumption and burn 250. You haven't been doing it, so what's your realistic plan for making that happen?
So don't go blaming your New Year's Resolutions when they slip away. Look to yourself and say "OK I said I was going to improve myself with these general steps, now how can I really create a specific plan to make it happen?" Just because you started off too general and perhaps too grandiose doesn't mean that you're doomed to fail if you're willing to take a step back and get more concrete about it.
Don't go off trying to succeed with a New Year's Resolution without a solid game plan, and if you did, as long as there's still time on the clock, you can change your strategy and win the game (you can tell I've been watching the NFL Playoffs).
It's not that New Year's Resolutions don't work, it's that we don't give them enough real thought and planning to give them the chance they deserve. But now you know how to fix that.
P.S. Get a get a FREE excerpt from my newest book Weight Loss Secrets Revealed for the Happiest and Healthiest You! from my Your Healthy Life Made Easy!™ series CLICK HERE
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Making Your Healthy Life Easy!
--Melanie Jordan
Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Weight Loss and Weight Management Expert
Your Healthy Life Made Easy!™
Melanie Jordan is a Wellcoaches and ACE Certified Health and Wellness Coach and an ACE Group Fitness Certified and licensed Zumba and Zumba Gold Instructor and Turbo Kick Instructor.
Copyright 2013 SunLoverPublishing LLC. Please speak with your healthcare professional about your specific needs and to determine if Wellness Coaching is appropriate for you and before implementing any suggestions on this Your Healthy Life Made Easy Blog. Melanie Jordan is not liable for any loss or injury associated with information published on this blog as it is provided solely for your education and entertainment.
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