Chances are that on December 31st, you were promising yourself that this would be the year that you’d finally make a change. You probably started off strong — going to the gym for an hour everyday, making time to journal each night before bed, reading a book a month, or perhaps putting aside money in a jar carefully marked “save” after each paycheck was cashed. A large majority of New Year’s resolutions are health-related; you might have resolved to the gym more and eat healthier meals to lose some weight. Maybe you managed to stick to it all throughout break and even into the beginning of the second semester…but then, real life hit. The fact that it’s still snowing in mid-March and all of your exams landed in the same week might have you feeling down and stressed, but never fear — there’s still hope to revive those resolutions!
Take a step back
If you’re struggling to keep up with your goals or feel so overwhelmed that you want to give up on them entirely, try redirecting your focus — what have you been doing right? Have you seen results? If not, what results are you looking for and why are they valuable to you? What are some things standing in the way of you achieving these goals? What are the consequences of not achieving these goal? And ultimately, is this going to make you happy in the long run? Asking yourself these questions can help remind you why these goals were important to you in the first place and what your personal investment will result in.
Be realistic
If you have a busy day packed with classes and meetings, don’t put the added pressure on yourself to complete your daily goal. Say Monday is your busiest day of the week — by leaving “go to the gym” off of your to-do list, you eliminate the stress of trying to schedule that into your day and can focus more on the other things you have to do. Expecting yourself to devote a full hour to the gym seven days a week for the entire year, to maintain the same exact numbers on the scale without any fluctuation, or to go 365 days without eating a single cookie is absolutely ridiculous! Don’t obsess over doing everything right and according to the plan you have in your mind. No one is perfect, so choose your battles and be kind to yourself even when you “slip”.
Track your progress
By writing down the steps that you’re taking toward achieving your goal, you give yourself something to look back on when the going gets rough — you are making progress! Also, by sharing what you hope to accomplish with others, you create a support system for yourself that not only holds you accountable, but that also cheers you on and acknowledges the realness of your successes.
Plan accordingly
Try setting your gym clothes out the night before, filling your fridge with only healthy snacks, or limiting the number of social events you partake in each week that involve food (i.e. lunch dates, coffee runs, etc.). By penciling in time to work out during the week and planning meals ahead of time, you give yourself less reason to stray and more of a sense of achievement when you stick to the plan.
Make it fun
Sometimes all you need is a change of routine to get out of a rut. Instead of meeting a friend for ice cream, go for a bike ride or hike together. That way, you can burn calories and catch up with one another! If you always head straight to the elliptical for your usual forty minutes of cardio followed by alternating sets of crunches and pushups, why not shake it up and take a fun class at the gym? From cardio to strength, there are plenty of options available and class times vary throughout the day, so you’re almost guaranteed to find one that will fit into your schedule.
Celebrate small victories
It really is all about the little things, so don’t hesitate to pat yourself on the back when you run past two more mailboxes than you did last time, break your record in push-ups, or finally bike up that hill that you were walking up a month ago. Start with small goals to avoid becoming discouraged. You’re probably not going to go from running a mile a day to ten miles in one short month, but three miles a day is a respectable success! Try avoiding rewarding yourself with food…you’re not a dog, and it’ll probably make you feel worse about yourself later. If you’re really hungry after working out and are craving something sweet, have a glass of chocolate milk (the protein to carbohydrate ratio is ideal) or try out that new smoothie recipe that’s been sitting on your desk collecting dust. What about making time to catch up on reruns of your favorite show or to paint your nails? A little extra lazy time on the couch in the morning? Go for it, you’ve worked hard!
“New Year’s Resolution” tends to linger over us, creating more stress than is necessary. You don’t have to define your goals publicly to make them a reality, and remember that you can edit them throughout the year! Instead of making a resolution for the year, try setting a goal for each month, such as focusing on organization during the month of January, your social life during the month of February, and so on. Another neat idea is to make a “2013 Good Things Jar” and drop little notes in throughout the year about good things that have happened in your life, significant personal achievements, and things that make you smile. At the end of the year, you can look back and truly appreciate all of the good that happened this year!