Reflect, Recharge, and Resolutions!
Let's be honest, 2016 was a rough year. We all had good things happen and probably hit a few rough patches throughout the year. We make New Year's resolutions with the best intentions and then life happens and they're hard to maintain. Those resolutions usually last a few months, at most, and then we forget about them or lose the momentum.
Are you one of the rare people who actually stuck with those goals for the entire year? If so, I owe you an applause and a huge congratulations! Not many actually stick with it.
Let's reflect on 2016, recharge, and prepare for 2017 by creating New Year's resolutions that are attainable as well as maintainable. Let's work on setting goals that we know we will stick to! Here are 3 common resolutions and how to succeed through the entire year.
1. "New Year, new you"! - Losing weight is one of the most popular resolutions. We go into the new year with the best intentions on eating healthier, maybe joining a new gym, and looking to lose those holiday pounds we just put on. The biggest problem with this resolution is that most expect to lose weight over night.
You can succeed at this resolution if you understand that this takes time and won't happen overnight. So this year, if this is going to be your resolution, set a realistic goal and know that it may take you the entire year to achieve it. Find a new workout buddy or friend to hold you accountable and help you when there are bumps in the road. If you are looking to eat healthier, try a food journal where you track everything you eat! Be honest with yourself and write down EVERYTHING. Start small in your lifestyle changes and each small change will begin to add up over time!
2. Stress less - Our stress levels tend to sky rocket with long work hours, lack exercise, poor diet, no sleep, etc. Small amounts of stress can actually give us a boost of energy! It keeps us on our toes and gives our hearts a little flutter, but when you are so stressed out all the time, you can experience sleepless nights, depression, health problems and more.
If you are a chronic stresser, this year focus on "me" time. Give yourself a vacation - you earned it! Allow for relaxation and actually take time away from work. Spend time with your family or on yourself with some personal development. Stress is a part of life, but you are not benefiting yourself by stressing so much resulting in loss of sleep, missing your workouts, or not spending time with family.
3. Save more - Here is a big tip for you....SPEND LESS! Easier said that done right? Each of us have different lifestyles, but we can adjust our lifestyle to spend less and save more. Where do you spend the most money? Is it on gas to fuel your car? Start saving money on fuel by walking to places, riding your bike to work, or even carpooling. BONUS: that means less air pollution as well!
Another way to save money is by going to the grocery store with a list of items. I can't tell you how many times I walk into the grocery store without a list and end up buying more items than I needed, meaning spending more than I had planned. That is not beneficial to my health or my wallet. When you meal plan, you can create a grocery list and that way you stick with that plan and don't aimlessly buy things you don't need. You can also hurt your diet by buying something unhealthy. Take note of what is in your fridge and buy only the necessary items you need for the week.
Now that you've learned about a few New Year's resolutions that you can actually succeed in throughout the entire year, what are your goals? Have other tips to help with success, comment below! I'd love to hear them.
Love,
Avery
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