New Year’s Resolutions

Don’t feel like a failure if you’ve already given up on New Year’s resolutions

If you’ve already set – and broken – your New Year’s resolutions, you’re hardly alone.

Only 8 percent of people are able to keep their New Year’s resolutions, most often because the commitments people make are too vague, such as losing weight or starting an exercise program, or too strict, like cutting sugar out of your diet without making any other dietary changes.

The problem with New Year’s resolutions is that we generally make them with conviction, seeing the first day of the new year as a chance to break free from old habits, but don’t make real plans to make that happen, so we’ve broken them by the beginning of February.

But experts say that any day can be a chance to make positive life changes, in a smarter way than those big, brash New Year’s resolutions.

“January 1 signifies a new beginning. However, each day allows for a new beginning, and hence it is a reset,” said Dr. Roberta Anding, Baylor College of Medicine, in a HuffPost story.

A reset is an opportunity to make a small change or set a small, manageable goal, such as cutting back on carbs – make one meal a day carb-free to start – or to walk a mile every day. If you log those miles in an app on your phone, you can track them, and will likely walk more than you intended once you start.

With each goal accomplished, you can try another, until you’ve lost weight or joined a gym to add toned muscles to the calories burned from walking each day.

Some smarter, more manageable, goals include:

• Cut back on portion sizes. Use a smaller plate to deceive yourself into thinking that you’re eating more food than you really are.
• Walk when you can. Take the steps instead of the elevator, park in a space far away from the store’s entrance when you shop, and try logging a mile every day, either during lunch of after dinner, to burn a few extra calories.
• Plan a weekend recharge. A small trip such as a weekend at a hotel can give you a chance to try out workout equipment and eat healthier meals. It may also inspire you to continue what you started when you get home.
• Drink more water. Don’t worry about the eight-glasses-a-day thing, but try to trade some unhealthy drinks such as diet soda for water when you can. Water helps flush out toxins and fills you up so you are less likely to overeat. Drink a glass before each meal to make that water do more work.
• Pack your lunch. Making a salad with quinoa or smoked turkey will help you keep calories in check, and will save you the money you might otherwise spend on lunches with coworkers, making this a win-win change.
• Limit screen time. Limit screen time to less than 2 hours a day.
• Volunteer and help someone in need. Makes you feel so good.
• Meditate a few minutes daily . Great for stress relief.
• Learn a hobby. Yes, great way to socialize and be part of something.