How to Keep Your New Year's Resolution

Photo: Inc.com

Many of us make New Year’s resolutions. From losing weight to quitting smoking to finally getting organized, we frequently set goals for ourselves and are ready get started on January 1, but our enthusiasm and motivation frequently wane after only a few weeks.

So how can we make resolutions we’ll actually keep?

A New Year’s resolution is like any other goal, and the key to reaching a goal is to commit to what you want to do, then develop a realistic plan that’s easy to follow and suits your lifestyle. For instance, if your goal is to lose 20 pounds this year, but you regularly put in 12-hour workdays and snack on unhealthy food throughout the day, chances are you’ll have a tough time losing weight. The key is to work a weight-loss plan into your jam-packed schedule however you can.

One way to reach your goals is to follow the SMART criteria—Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Results-focused, and Time-bound. This helps to keep your progress high and stress level low.

Ready to get started? Below are a few additional tips to keep yourself on track with your New Year’s resolutions

Start small. If your goal is to lose weight, one of the worst things you can do (and one of the fastest ways to lose your momentum) is to aim higher than you can reasonably reach. For instance, if going from your couch to your fridge or pantry is the most exercise you’ve gotten in a year, you’re probably not ready for a 5K race this weekend. Start by walking around the block, then going a bit further or for a longer time the next time you head out.

Keep a record of your accomplishments. Track your progress. Keep a food journal so you can have a written record of everything you eat. Write down every cigarette you smoke so you have an accurate list of how many you smoke in a day, then taper off gradually.

Reward yourself. You should celebrate small victories along the way. Treat yourself to a massage or that new pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing when you lose those first ten pounds. For every day you go without a cigarette, splurge on yourself. Whatever your resolution is, reward yourself when you reach an important milestone.

Have a friend join you. Many of us find it easier to stay motivated if we’re accountable to someone. Are you determined to finish that novel you’ve been writing? Join a writing group or connect with a critique partner. Get a workout buddy or accountability partner with whom you check in regularly. It’s harder to slack off when you know someone else is counting on you to show up.

Continue to challenge yourself. As you reach the smaller goals, keep pushing yourself to go further. If you keep up your weight loss and exercise routine, set new goals. Sign up for a 5K or other competitive event. If you quit smoking for a few months, look at what other vices you could reduce or eliminate.

Reaching a difficult personal goal is an empowering and liberating achievement. Be proud of what you’ve done! What will you do next?

National Stress Awareness Day: Tips for Relieving Stress

November 7 is National Stress Awareness Day.  But if you’re living with chronic stress, you’re already aware of it. Stress can cause a wide range of health problems, from physical conditions like weight loss or gain, high blood pressure, and sleep disorders, to mental conditions like anxiety and depression. It can impact every area of your life, and although you probably can’t eliminate it from your life completely, it’s important to find healthy ways to live with it. 

Photo: Success Under Pressure

Below are a few tips to help manage your stress:

Learn to say “No”. One of the single biggest stressors for most people is simply taking on too much, whether at work, home, or volunteering in the community.  As the saying goes, “If you want something done, ask a busy person”, but even people with jam-packed calendars should take a break from doing it all now and then. Saying “no” doesn’t come naturally at first, but the more you say it (and you can be selective—many of us just like keeping busy), the easier it becomes! Giving yourself some time to relax and recharge is healthy…and necessary for your overall well-being!

Practice good time management skills. Remember the panic you felt as a kid when you waited too long to do a homework project that had been assigned several weeks earlier? And maybe you were up until midnight or later the night before the project was due, scrambling to finish? If you were that kid, unless you develop better time management skills, that feeling won’t go away when you’re an adult. Get yourself a calendar and keep it updated. Refer to it often. Virtually every type of device out there has a calendar, so there’s really no reason not to keep track of bill payments, social events, appointments, and various lists.

Exercise regularly. Between work and family, your spare time is likely limited. But taking care of your physical health is important for keeping your stress level in check. Just taking a brisk walk around the block a few times a week can help keep your weight down and burn off excess nervous energy. If you have more time, try to fit in a few regular sessions at the gym or take up a hobby with a physical component, like running or hiking.

Get enough sleep. It can be a vicious cycle—if you’re stressed about something, it often keeps you up at night. Lack of sleep causes you to feel sluggish, cranky, and just not feeling your best, so you can’t tackle the problem weighing on your mind very efficiently.  If you have trouble sleeping or just unwinding after a stressful day, try reading (preferably something not work-related), keeping your mobile device in another room so you’re not tempted to check messages or scroll through social media every few minutes, or jotting down some thoughts in a journal. Regular journaling is a great way to get your inner thoughts and worries down on paper and ease some of your mental burden.

Practice yoga, meditation, or another relaxing activity. Yoga and meditation are effective ways to manage stress because they both require focus and concentration on something other than the worries on your mind. Meditation is the practice of sitting quietly and focusing on your breath; yoga is an ancient practice incorporating physical, mental, and spiritual components that focus on breathing and includes a series of stretches and controlled movements.  

Make a regular habit out of managing your stress. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the many demands on our time; you’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel if you make a conscious effort to reduce or eliminate some of your major stressors.

Great Reasons to Unplug and Get Outside

Photo: Lifewire.com

If you’re like most of us, your wireless device is practically attached to your body. Did you ever stop to think how many times you look at your phone every day? Not necessarily doing anything on it, like checking email, hopping on social media, or playing a game…just looking at it. A recent study completed by Deloitte found that the average American checks their phone (yes, just looks at it) an average of 46 times a day—collectively, that’s 8 billion times a day.  

Just think about that for a minute.

Smartphones and other devices have become ingrained in our everyday lives, but taking a break from them now and then is good for our overall health. So now that summer is here and there’s plenty of daylight, see what a difference it makes when you look away from your screen and get outside for a few hours. If you need more convincing, below are a few reasons why getting outside is good for you:

Vitamin D. Too much sun exposure can be harmful, but getting some outside time actually helps your body produce vitamin D, an essential element for good bone and muscle health. A vitamin D deficiency can lead to a number of long-term health problems, including heart disease, cognitive impairment in older adults, and even cancer.  

Stress reliever. Plain old fresh air and sunshine can help lower your blood pressure, and doing some sort of outdoor activity, like taking a walk or working in a garden, is a good form of exercise. Have you ever gotten angry over something you saw on social media? Do you really want to add more stress to your life? You might be surprised how much taking a break from social media or curbing your screen time can help reduce your stress level.

Reconnect with nature, friends, and family. Summer is the perfect time for gatherings with friends and family, whether it’s a picnic or party for a special occasion (like graduation or July 4), and actually talk to other people in person rather than texting or messaging.  But you don’t need a reason to go outside—grab a book (a real book, not an e-reader), a beverage, and hang out on your front porch or back deck or patio and simply watch the world go by. We get so consumed with doing something every minute, or being accessible and knowing what’s going on at all times, sometimes the best thing we can do is unplug, do nothing, and take some time for ourselves.

How do you keep your e-addiction in check?  We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!