keep your New Year’s Resolution

New Year’s Resolutions
by Raquel Torres, MBA

6 Tips to help you keep your New Year’s Resolution

The start of a New Year is the perfect time to turn a new page, which is probably why so many people make New Year’s Resolutions.

The New Year often feels like a fresh start and a great opportunity to change bad habits and establish new routines that will help you grow psychologically, emotionally, socially, physically, or intellectually.

Chances are at some time in your life, you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution — and then broken it. This year, stop the cycle of resolving to make change and then not following through. If your resolution is to take better care of yourself and get healthy, you will have a much better year if your resolution sticks.

According to statistics one third of resolutioners don’t make it past the end of January. A lot of these resolutions fail because they’re not the right resolutions. And a resolution may be wrong for one of three main reasons:

1. It’s a resolution created based on what someone else (or society) is telling you to change.
2. It’s too vague.
3. You don’t have a realistic plan for achieving your resolution.

Your goals should be smart.

How to set achievable New Year goals – Ever heard of a SMART goal? SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. It’s an acronym used a lot in business, and also one that fitness professionals rely on to help clients set doable goals. It’s also pretty handy for any New Year’s resolutions you’re mulling over right now.

Making a goal SMART is a great tactic to increase your chances of actually sticking with it. For many common New Year’s resolutions—like exercising more, changing eating habits, and saving money—implementing this method can really help.

Whatever your goal is – the important thing is that you are on the right path to achieve it. Read through these tips to help you stick to your New Year resolutions and maximize your chances of not giving up.

1. Start with small goals – You may be feeling motivated and excited about your goal, but don’t let your ambition lead you to unattainable levels. If you want to try a new activity, don’t commit yourself to 5 times a week – start slowly and consistently so that your body and mind gets used to it, and build from there. Giving yourself the ability to meet your goal in small steps can help you avoid discouragement along the way.
2. Seriously, get specific with your goals – Setting small, specific goals also keeps you encouraged along the way—“Save money” is a good goal. But…how? And how much? Without some definable parameters, your best intentions can get lost in the shuffle. “The more detailed you can be—‘I’m going to save $30 a week by eating out one fewer meal’—the [easier] it is to stay focused on what you have to do to succeed,” each time you meet one, you have reason to celebrate your progress.
3. Be Realistic – The surest way to fall short of your goal is to make your goal unattainable. For instance, resolving to NEVER eat your favorite food again is setting you up to fail. Instead, strive for a goal that is attainable, such as avoiding it more often than you do now.
4. Talk about It – Don’t keep your resolutions a secret. Tell your mentor, coaches or friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. The best-case scenario is to find a buddy who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivates each other.
5. Stick to It – Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality. It won’t happen overnight, so be persistent and patient.
6. Keep Trying – If you have totally run out of steam when it comes to keeping your resolution by mid-February, don’t despair. Start over again! Recommit yourself for 24 hours. You can do anything for 24 hours. The 24-hour increments will soon build on each other and, before you know it, you will be back on track.

Remember That Change Is a Process.

Those unhealthy or undesired habits that you are trying to change probably took years to develop, so how can you expect to change them in just a matter of days, weeks, or months? Be patient with yourself.

Identify the right resolutions to improve your life, create a plan on how to reach it, and become part of the small group of people that successfully achieve their goals.

Raquel Torres, MBA is a USAT Elite Certified Coach, Professional Triathlon Coach and Professional Triathlete. Raquel also writes blogs for several magazines and her team Athletic Mentors. Since May 2021 she contributes as a columnist with CNY Latino Newspaper. She shares true life stories with her experiences, also tips and tactics that helps anyone to be their best version. To read about her, head over to cnylatinonewspaper.com and search for her by her name. You can also send questions or comments about her column to the following email: raquel@athleticmentors.com and go to her website at www.raqueltorres.org