By Jen Ballinger
At the beginning of a new year, one of the most common questions asked is “what are your New Year’s resolutions?”.
Whilst in the first few days of the year, New Year’s resolutions are made with the best intentions to want to make changes to habits and lifestyle. It is common for these resolutions to be forgotten once work and school are back in full swing.
So how can you make this year, THE year that your New Year’s resolutions stick?
Tip 1: Make them achievable
New Year’s resolutions are often ambitious, such as “I want to run a marathon” or “I want to lose a certain amount of weight”. Whilst it is good to have long-term ambitions and goals, they can be overwhelming in the short term.
Instead, take your big resolutions and break them down into smaller, manageable chunks. Aiming to run a marathon is a great long-term goal but if you don’t currently run, you could set a smaller goal for the first 3 months – such as “I want to complete Couch to 5k”. Or if you are getting back into physical activity for the first time in a long time, maybe “I want to go on a walk 3 times a week for the first month”. Having short term goals helps you to see progression towards your targets and gives you something to celebrate each time you hit a milestone.
Additionally, if losing weight is your overall goal – try to create other goals alongside this that will help you achieve weight loss. Things such as increasing your activity levels or minimising snacking when you’re bored. Sometimes losing weight is not a reflection of the health benefits you are achieving.
Tip 2: Make resolutions that you believe in
When picking your resolutions, take time to decide what interests you and what you enjoy. All your friends and family might be setting resolutions to start training for a half marathon, but if this isn’t something that interests you or if it’s something you’ve tried before and haven’t enjoyed, setting a different resolution may be more worthwhile.
Is there a sport or exercise you used to enjoy when you were younger? See if there are opportunities to get back into that instead.
Are there particular foods or dishes you really enjoy when you go out to eat? Have a go at making them at home!
If you’re not sure what activities you want to do, you could set a resolution to try out a certain number of new activities this year instead of committing to one thing and hoping you’ll enjoy it.
The key is picking resolutions and goals that are yours and interest you because that will increase your motivation and determination to work towards them.
Tip 3: Find a community
When trying to create a change in your lifestyle or habits, having people to support you can make a big difference.
This may involve your friends and family supporting you on your journey, helping motivate you on the harder days, or not accidentally distracting you from your goals.
Finding a community of people who have similar aims can also motivate you and help you stick to your goals. For example, if your New Year’s resolution is to run more, try to find a running group! Or if you want to cook more homemade meals, find a cooking class to take part in.
You may also find it useful to get in touch with our Healthy Lifestyles Service. Whether you are looking to move more, eat better or stop smoking, they can give you advice and tips to help you achieve your goals, as well as provide motivation and support across twelve weeks.
Contact the Healthy Lifestyles Service by calling 01952 382582, emailing healthylifestyles@telford.gov.uk or by using the online form via the button below.
If you’re looking for tips and weekly motivation but don’t think the Healthy Lifestyles Service is right for you at the moment, sign up to our Do it For… campaign for twice weekly emails, which also gives you access to an online group of residents with the same goals as you!
Tip 4: Progress over perfection
There will be times when you miss a physical activity session you had planned or when that homemade meal you were going to make turns into food grabbed whilst you’re out at the last minute. You may then think, “Oh I’ll start again next week/month/year”.
When trying to change habits, don’t focus too much on perfection. There will be times when you’re ill or something crops up that means plans have to change, but don’t let this effect the next week, month or even year!
Picking things back up can be difficult so putting in plans before it occurs can help. Set yourself reminders when you’re ready to get back on track and reflect on the positive impacts you felt when you were working towards your goals. Sometimes you may even benefit from taking a few steps backwards to ease yourself back in.
Always remember the progress you have made and don’t let the idea of perfection impact your potential future progression.
Tip 5: Enjoy the journey
When working towards your goals, there’s often a desire to want to be at the end goal already, whether that’s the ability to run a marathon or be a certain weight. However, this mindset can lead to demotivation and a lack of enjoyment in working towards your goals.
Take time to enjoy where you are at in your journey: learning new skills, starting new hobbies and meeting new people.
Make sure you celebrate the small wins along the way too, because whilst they might seem small, they are the blocks that will help you achieve your end goal.