With another year rolling into action everywhere you look there are ads and social media posts:
‘New Year New You’
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Many of us make promises to ourselves and loved ones to better our lives; whether it be to lose weight, stress less, spend more time with the family or holiday more.
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Some people make similar resolutions every year, follow them for a month or so then as the year carries on life takes over and the resolution fizzles out into a distant memory until another year comes around.
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So how do we go about keeping the resolution alive past mid February???
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- Set the ultimate goal and then break it down into smaller bite sized pieces that are achievable and able to be reassessed every 4-6 weeks.
For example: an ultimate Goal to lose 10kgs can be broken up into:
lose 1kg each month
Jan: Work out 2 times a week
Feb: Work out 3 times a week
March: Continue workout routine and cut out bread
April: Continue above and cut out soft drink
May: Continue about and cut out dessert
etc
The easiest way to set yourself up for failure is to try and do everything at once
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…- When you write down your end goal include why you want to achieve it and how you will feel after you get there. That way when you feel like quitting or when it doesn’t seem as big of a deal anymore those emotions will help you put things back in perspective.
. - As time goes on reflect and if need be edit your goals – don’t be afraid to change them if they aren’t working for you
When we initially write these things we are so motivated and haven’t always taken into account curve balls life may throw at us, it is ok to change the smaller goals to keep you on the right path to the main one.
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Maybe Easter is a big celebration in your household that’s fine simply prepare for it, maybe you’ll exercise a little more that month to make up for the extra food you’ll be consuming or maybe you want to try lose 2kg in January and February so you have time to ease off a little through March and April and get back into it in May.
……………………….. - Do not compare yourself in any way to anyone else – yes it’s easier said than done however if you have a plan in place then you can always refer back to that to reassure yourself that you are on the right track.
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We are all different what works for me won’t necessarily work for you
……………………………………… - Celebrate your achievements – I cannot say this enough!
Month one is done and you hit your target, brilliant!
Go celebrate.
Now by celebrate I don’t mean go out and blow all your hard work, it can be something like new workout shoes, a nice meal out with a friend or loved one or even a social media post anything that makes you feel good about yourself and your achievements.
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There is more to starting a healthier life than having an end goal/resolution.
There is the need for a game plan, organisation and direction.
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How are you going to achieve your end goal?
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There are so many different things you can do. Different things work for different people. Here are a couple of generic starting points:
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- Write a weekly meal plan – it doesn’t have to be super fancy meals in our house it’s usually just meat and salad or veg for dinner, if it’s a big workout day we will have sweet potato with it too.
.. - Set aside an hour or so every week for meal prep
.. - Pre plan your workouts – if you are going from no workouts a week start small pick 2 days a week and once that becomes routine add another.
.. - If you are a junk food eater have the minimal amount of it in your house – for example if ice cream is your thing instead of buying a tub buy the stuff on sticks so when you have to have some your portion is controlled or if chocolate is your ultimate weakness have the small bite sided treats instead of a family block.
… - Don’t beat yourself up if you do slip up on your eating it’s likely to escalate the situation not help it, instead reflect on what caused the slip up, how can you stop this from happening again, can you fit in an extra walk this week to make you feel better?
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I could talk about this stuff all day long but overloading you will not help anyone so I will leave it at that for now!
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Enjoy the journey ask lots of questions and stay in control 🙂
