Resolving to stick with it! (Practical tips to help you stick with those New Year's Resolutions)

    

      2016 is finally here and the hot topic is once again New Year’s Resolutions! Have you made you made yours yet? Are you resolving to lose weight? Get more sleep? Spend less money? Drink less wine and more water? Join a gym and actually go this time? Be nice to everyone you meet? Watch less and read more?

     Every year I wake up on January 1^st with a set of resolutions and the best of intention, but by February 1^st I’m out of steam and totally over it! (For a look at Stephanie Lynn’s thoughts on themes vs resolutions, you can check out her blog here) This year, in preparation of the Resolution Rush, I’ve combed the internet looking for tips to help stick with those well-intended goals throughout the year. I found a list of “15 Foolproof Strategies To Stick To Your Fitness Resolutions” on greatist.com, but 15 tips seemed like a lot to me, so I picked my 5 favorites to share with you. I think these five tips will be helpful whether you’re resolution is fitness oriented, lifestyle based or some combination of both.

     1) Write and Measure: The simple act of writing out your goals gives you a sense of ownership and something tangible to reflect on throughout the year. And when your write out your goals, make sure to be specific, with measurable expectations. If your goal is to lose weight, don’t write something vague like “This year I resolve to lose weight”. How much weight do you want to lose? When do you want to lose it by? How are you going to do it? Writing something like “This year I resolve to lose 25 pound by working out four times a week and eating a healthier diet” gives you something you can measure and work with.  If you’re resolving to spend less, instead of adding “I will spend less in 2016” to your list, try something like “In 2016 I will spend less by setting a monthly budget, making a list before I go shopping and leaving my credit cards at home” 

     2) Make It Manageable: A resolution shouldn’t be a daydream, it should be something attainable, otherwise you’re setting yourself up for failure right from the get-go. Saying you’re going to lose 150 this year may be a really nice thought, but may not be manageable. Being realistic and setting attainable goals is a much healthier way to go. Maybe you do need to lose 150 pounds, but by setting small goals that are attainable (for example 10 pounds in six weeks), you’ll be more likely to reach your goals and feel like you’re making progress and less likely to get discouraged and want to quit.  

  

     3) Treat Yourself: When you do reach a goal, treat yourself! Giving yourself something to look forward to can help your reach your goals faster! Just make sure your “treat” doesn’t undo all your hard work! If you just hit your first 10 pound goal, don’t treat yourself to a whole chocolate cake; maybe treat yourself to a new Sweet Spot Skirtathletic skirt, or some other fitness gear instead! Or if you’re resolving to drink less wine and more water, don’t celebrate your first wine-free month with a bottle of merlot. (Remember, it’s easier to fall back into old habits then it is to create new ones!)

     4) Ask For Help:  Not knowing how to start or what your next step should be is no reason to not start or give up! If your goals are fitness or weight related, talk to the trainer at your gym, or make an appointment to talk to a dietitian. If your goals are money related, you can go to your local bank branch and talk to a banker or account manager. Another form of asking for help is being open about your goals with your friends and family. Share you resolutions with us on our Facebook page. Ask someone to be your accountability buddy. Maybe that means asking your mom to hold your list (and wallet!) while you shop together to make sure that only the items on your list end up in your cart, or maybe it means asking a friend to join a gym with you so you have a workout buddy. Asking for help and/or support can me a vital part of success! 

     5) Be Forgiving of Yourself:  Let’s face it, we’re all going to slip up at some point. We’ll have set backs and stumbles; we might even lose our steam entirely. It can happen to even the most resolved among us. Own it and forgive yourself, but don’t give up entirely. If you find yourself losing steam, reread your written list and see if you need to reevaluate your resolutions. Maybe you need to scale back a little bit, or rearrange your goals. 

     I hope these tips will help your achieve your 2016 resolutions! I’m looking forward to seeing what the New Year brings for me and my family, as well as you and yours! Use #activeresolutionSSS, #sweetspotskirts and @sweetspotskirts to share your goals, resolutions, year themes and photos with the Sweet Spot Skirt Family on Instagram and Twitter! You can read the full list of “15 Foolproof Strategies To Stick To Your Fitness Resolutions” here. Happy New Year!!!

New Year's Day, Crosswalk in Salem, OR.