With New Year’s Day approaching fast, many of us are brainstorming the ways in which we want to improve ourselves in the new year. Maybe it’s increasing exercise, eating better, practicing more self care, or being more present. No matter the goals, the change can be difficult to make—especially without a plan.
That being said, here are our top 10 tips of how to implement lasting change in the New Year.
One: Create SMART goals.
What is a SMART goal? It’s got nothing to do with your IQ! A SMART goal means the goal is: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant (why are you doing it?), and Time-oriented. SMART goals are usually short-term goals. They can be goals in and of themselves, or they can be a sub-goal to a larger goal. As a sub-goal, they help you implement small changes in order to create habits that contribute to a larger overall impact.
Two: Make goals meaningful.
This goes along with the “Relevant” aspect of SMART goals. Reflect on why this goal or change is important to you. For example, if the goal is to exercise more, a typical “why” might be “to have more energy” or “to be stronger.” We encourage you to dig deeper. Why is it important to you to have energy? Why is it important to you to be stronger? Bring out your inner 4-year-old and continue to challenge your answer with another “why?” You might be surprised with what you discover.
Three: Focus on 1-2 goals at a time.
It’s hard to multitask. If you are doing 20 different things, you can give each one about 5% of your attention. Instead, give MORE of your focus to FEWER goals. Once you’ve attained them, move on to your next goal(s).
Four: Write down your goals.
With all the things that cross our mind on a daily basis, it’s hard to keep any one thing ‘top of mind’. Writing down a goal helps solidify our commitment, seeing it helps to give your brain another way to remember it, and placing it somewhere that you’ll see it on a daily basis keeps you more accountable. Every time you see that written goal, you are prompted to ask yourself, “have my actions aligned with my goal?”
Five: Whenever possible, make goals fun.
This one likely makes sense to you off the bat, but can be hard to implement. Let’s take a look at a few ways to make things that aren’t typically “enjoyable” (according to most people) more fun.
- Eating Healthy: Keep track of your “phytonutrient score”. A serving of vegetables is worth 5 points, fruit is worth 2 points, and if you eat a whole food from all the colors of the rainbow in a given day, you get an extra 10 points. Competitive? Challenge a friend to do the same and compare scores.
- Exercise: First, find a form of exercise that you like best. Walking, swimming, dancing, rock climbing, boxing… forms of movement are almost endless! Find books or tape or podcasts to listen to while exercising, or find a gym partner to keep you company. Many people find that gym classes like Zumba can be fun and get your heart rate up without feeling like you’re just walking or jogging in place.
Six: Plan ahead.
If you are about to go on a road trip, chances are you plan for it. You bring a couple of snacks in case you get hungry, you also make sure you have a charger in case your phone dies. You think ahead to what obstacles you are going to face, and you make sure you have the tools needing to overcome them. Why wouldn’t you do the same thing with a resolution or goal?
Seven: Be held accountable.
It can be easy to give up on or fall short of a goal when we don’t have anyone to encourage us. Find a friend or loved one who you can check in with to tell them about your progress, or to ask for support.
Eight: Grant yourself grace.
Nobody is perfect and change isn’t linear. Don’t let this discourage you. Rather, let it fuel your determination to get back on track.
Nine: Refresh Your Goals
There will be times when you need to adjust your goal. You might find that something isn’t working or that your underlying motivation or end goal has changed. Schedule “check in” points when you’ll reflect on your goal and make sure it is still contributing to what you want. For example, your initial goal may have been about weight loss, but eventually you realize you are gaining weight but that clothes are fitting better and you have more energy. It’s perfectly acceptable to refresh your fitness goal to be centered on something other than a number on the scale. (In full disclosure, we don’t recommend setting goals that solely focus on the scale in the first place!)
Ten: Celebrate your successes.
When a child takes their first steps, everyone gets excited. We clap and tell them how wonderful they’ve done. Why not celebrate YOUR first steps? Find something that feels like a treat, and use it to celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. If you enjoy reading, carve out an additional 30 minutes of your week to reward yourself with a book. Take yourself out on a date to a movie. Text or call a friend with your exciting news! Don’t hold back from feeling proud of what you’ve accomplished! We tend to do things that make us feel good, so let yourself feel good!
What if I don’t like resolutions?
That’s OK. Resolutions aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. We do always encourage people to make small daily steps that will improve overall health, though. Check out our recent blog post on ideas of how to work toward better health in just a few minutes every day.
