With the New Year here, many of us are considering how to make lasting impacts on our waist lines in 2012. A few key changes can add up to noticeable improvements to our health as well as our moods. The determining factor in making those New Year’s resolutions into enduring behavior changes is starting small. Managing our expectations can lead to positive reinforcement when we meet our goals. This is true even when the goals are slight improvements.
Our tendency is to dream big but it is the little steps that make all the difference. Each little step can add up to persistent changes in our daily rituals.
Here are some common New Year’s resolutions according to usa.gov and ways to break them down into manageable little pieces for easier integration into everyday life:
- Get Fit
- I will park in the farthest parking space and walk to the store from that space.
- I will walk into a restaurant rather than using the drive-thru window.
- I will walk 30 minutes every other day.
- Lose Weight
- I will lose 1 pound per week for 15 weeks.
- I will replace one high calorie food item per day with a low calorie food item.
- I will replace one sugary beverage with water every day.
- Eat Healthy Food
- I will eat one healthy food item per day.
- I will replace one unhealthy food item per day with a healthy food choice.
- I will eat one healthy meal one day a week.
Remember to celebrate the small successes you have made at meeting your goals- this will reinforce your new lifestyle. Celebration does not have to mean eating a whole cake by yourself, but perhaps having a small slice of your favorite pie to celebrate losing 5 pounds over 5 weeks or going to see that movie you’ve been wanting to see after running 30 minutes 3 times a week for the past week are a couple good examples.
Commemorating our achievements helps us build momentum to withstand obstacles toward the development of our new habits.
Wishing you health, wealth and success in the 2012!
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