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The American Dream: Becoming Better

Are you making any new years resolutions this year? Most resolutions are made early on January 1st and broken by January 2nd. Why do most new years resolutions fail? Because they’re based on wishful thinking rather than commitment. So does this mean you should forget about New Year’s resolutions altogether? Only if you are 100% resolved and content with every aspect of your life (and if this is the case, please let me in on your little secret so I don’t have to blog about new years resolutions anymore). The reality is that all of us have things in our lives we need to change, and the post-holiday season is a great time to view the past year with objectivity to see what we need to do with our lives in order to feel happier, more successful, and more fulfilled.

We are a health and nutrition company, so naturally we believe everyone should set at least one goal related to improving their health and well being. Here are 7 tips proven to help you succeed at your 2010 goals:

1. Make long term goals, but plan on keeping them in shorter steps. If you want to lose 25 pounds, set your goal for 5 pounds a month. Don’t plan on running a marathon in a month. Set your goal to be able to run 4 full blocks without stopping by the end of 2 weeks.

2. Set goals that are reasonable. Goals that are unreasonable set you up to fail because they are precieved as unattainable. Set small goals for big rewards then stick to them.

3. Be specific. For example, instead of telling yourself ‘I want to lose weight this year’, tell yourself  ‘I want to lose 25 lbs. in 5 months so I can get back to my ideal weight’.

4. Write your goals down. When you put them down in black and white you’ll have something to refer to later. For those of you can’t seem to remember how to use a pen and paper, program your goals into your phone or PDA with a regular reminder. Psychologists say that keeping a record of what you’ve done makes it more likely you’ll stick to your regimen.

5. Come up with a plan for how you you will implement your goals. For example; ‘To lose 25 lbs. I’m going to swim three times a week and cut 200 calories a day from my dietary intake’.

6. Set deadlines. Having deadlines will keep you engaged in following through with your commitments.

7. Get support. Talk to someone about your goals (friends, family or a professional such as a psychologist or counselor). If they’re aware of your goals, they’re likely to be supportive and help you stay on track when you’re struggling. It helps to have a friend who’s made similar goals so you can support each other and get fit together.

Have a happy and healthy New Year in 2010!

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 7th, 2010 at 11:26 am and is filed under Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.