It’s a week into the new year, and you may be struggling with your resolution.
You may even want to give up.
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But don’t. You’ve got this.
If you’ve even started.
Roughly 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. Many start to struggle after a week or two.
For good reason. It’s hard to implement change into what could be years of routine. But regardless of your goals for the new year, there are ways to help you stay on track to realize them.
One of the first is to set short-term goals along with long-term goals. If your New Year’s resolution is to lower blood pressure, realize that it takes consistent small steps to get there.
Use daily and weekly goals to get started. They could be to include one more serving of vegetables in place of a sugary snack each day. A weekly goal could be three 30-minute walks. You can then move up from there.
Increments are essential in reaching any health goal. Expecting to implement an overall lifestyle change isn’t easy. Look for small things you can do every day that easily fit into your life, and keep building as the weeks go on.
It could be something like one less sugary drink per day and two more glasses of water. Or adding a few minutes to your walks. When changes are implemented slowly, they become a habit and can compound much easier.
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A slow start can lead to greater adherence after two months, so you’re just hitting your full stride when most people are abandoning resolutions.
Self-compassion is another important part of a successful resolution. If you stray from your plans for a day or a week, don’t worry about it. These things happen. Tomorrow offers a fresh opportunity to restart and pick up where you left off.
Try these tips to reach your health goals this year and beyond!
Mohan Garikiparithi got his degree in medicine from Osmania University (University of Health Sciences). He practiced clinical medicine for over a decade before he shifted his focus to the field of health communications. During his active practice he served as the head of the Dept. of Microbiology in a diagnostic centre in India. On a three-year communications program in Germany, Mohan developed a keen interest in German Medicine (Homoeopathy), and other alternative systems of medicine. He now advocates treating different medical conditions without the use of traditional drugs. An ardent squash player, Mohan believes in the importance of fitness and wellness.
