According to one survey of 12,000 people, about 30% of those making resolutions say they don't even keep them into February. And only about 1 in 5 actually continues for 6 months or more.
But don't be discouraged - experts say you can keep those resolutions long term, and the key to this is motivation. The best way to stay motivated is to set (at the start of the year), and review (every month) your original goals. Remember what it was that made you want to change? What made you go to the gym? What made you decide you’d stop eating bread? Find these feelings, and remind yourself that what you look like in six months is up to what you do today. And unfortunately, there's no one but you who can motivate yourself (your trainer won’t be with you all day, every day).
Follow these simple suggestions to make sure that your new year’s resolutions become your new lifestyle, not a hopeless, frustrating dream.
Exercise
- Time, or the lack of it, is the biggest excuse among those that fail to implement their exercise goals. But people mistakenly think they need to sweat for hours for any health benefit: all you need is 30 minutes of exercise in your day, and that's 30 minutes more than you would have done.
- Variety. After a month of well-intentioned workouts, boredom may be creeping into your routine. You also want to avoid your body getting used to one type of exercise – more variety means you use more muscles, and build a stronger body overall.
- Understand the 3 fitness components, and work only on 1 each time you exercise:
1. Cardiovascular health: run one day, swim the next, spin the following, and then climb a hill on a Sunday with your family.
2. Strength: change your weights program, or increase your load, every 3 months.
3. Mobility and flexibility: sign up for yoga or pilates.
- Setting goals too high is another common mistake. If you're not running a marathon at the end of the month, don't worry. A too intense workout -- and the resulting pain and stiffness -- is discouraging and may force most to abandon a program. Start slowly.
- Pick a partner. It’s harder to stop when someone else is involved.
- Get a calendar, and write your exercise down once you’ve completed it: if you’re doing weights, write down the exercise, the load, and the repetitions. If you’re doing cardio, write down the activity and duration. Over time, you’ll see progress – this, in turn, will motivate you.
*Tip: to burn off holiday pounds, work out in the morning before breakfast. This makes your body start burning more calories, earlier in the day.
Food
- Follow a 90-10 eating rule: eat healthy 90% of the time, then 10% of the time, you can cut yourself some slack and eat pleasurably. Healthy eating is evolution instead of resolution. Practically, this means one “cheat meal” a week, and one treat a day.
- Drink 2 liters of water a day for healthy skin and digestion, and to prevent headaches and cellulite. This will also keep you from eating when you are in fact thirsty: studies show that 20% of the time, we confuse thirst for hunger.
- Only keep food that has to be prepared around your home (in other words, meat, grains, and vegetables). Snack foods, especially pre-packaged (e.g. crackers, cookies, potato chips) are not filling, and contain a lot of calories. The idea is to eat cooked food, not ready-made snacks.
- Replace white flour (white bread, empanadas, crackers) and sugar (cookies, cakes, soda) with fruit and nuts – these are nature’s snacks, and they will keep you satisfied for longer.
- At meals, replace white rice, noodles and potatoes with whole grains, like quinoa, wheat or brown rice.
- Never skip breakfast. Studies show that people who eat breakfast have less cravings, more energy and lower body weight.
- Eat at the table, and if possible with friends or family. This will help you to eat slower (it takes 10 minutes for your brain to realize you are full) and to remain conscious of your portions (it is harder to binge in front of people).
- Do not keep dessert around the home, so that if you want something special – you have to go out for it!
To burn off holiday pounds, stop drinking alcohol and eating carbohydrates at night. Cut portions by using a small plate – the sensation of fullness is often psychological!
Sleep
It is essential that you sleep 8 hours a night. This will help you eat moderate portions and keep you from binging, as when we are tired, we eat more because we need more energy. It will help the body repair itself, which is especially important if you are exercising – your cells need to regenerate. Lastly, a well-rested person is more likely to stay motivated and committed, and stick to discipline – with a happier attitude.
