Making Healthy Resolutions Stick
Making lifestyle changes for your health requires more than just a r
One of the most important things to remember is that this is a change. Change requires:
- assessment
- making a plan
- organizing your life to implement the plan
- and evaluating how well the plan is working
As you evaluate you'll also need to make any necessary changes along the way. This doesn't happen without effort and commitment.
Resolve to Quit Smoking
For instance if your resolution is to quit smoking, you first have to assess why you smoke. It's a habit and you'll need to take measures to break the habit. That will take time. You can throw out your cigarettes and quit cold turkey, but to truly be successful you'll need to examine the ins and outs of your own habit.
Factors that influence your smoking include the times you enjoy it most. For many people, they truly enjoy a cigarette after a meal, with a cup of coffee, or while chatting on the phone with friends. So to help break the habit you'll need to change things up a bit. All too often people look to food to fill the void. If you can avoid trading one habit for another you'll be well ahead of the game.
Think about your routines. Do you push away your plate and reach for the ash tray? When you finish your meal, get up from the table and go do something to distract yourself such as taking a short walk.
If you like to smoke while you chat on the phone, change that up as well. Don't sit in your favorite chair. Find a pad of paper and pencil and doodle while you talk. Some people use chewing gum to help ease the need for something in their mouth.
If your resolution is to exercise more....
Consider the fact that you'll need to make a few plans to accomplish this. Do you need new clothing, shoes or other equipment? Make the investment.
When will you exercise? Most people complain that they need to find an extra 10 hours in a day to accomplish all that they need to do. So just when did you plan to add a half hour of exercise each day into your already overloaded schedule?
You'll need to schedule the time and make sure that you follow through. Don't set yourself up to fail here. If you are not a morning person, don't make plans to get up a half hour earlier to exercise before going to work. You won't follow through with it. If you go to bed with the chickens, don't plan to do your exercise before bed, you'll talk yourself out of it.
With a little extra organization, you could schedule your exercise time while your dinner is cooking. You could help yourself with this by planning meals ahead and doing the prep work the day before. Plan meals that don't require you to constantly stir or pay attention to. Put it on to cook and go do your exercise. By the time you're done, dinner is ready.
Need to Lose Weight?
The same type of organization can help you adhere to a weight loss program. Plan meals and shop for ingredients each week. Use ingredients that are easy to prepare or can be used in several meals to cut down on prep time. It's all too easy to talk yourself into fast food, take out or ordering in a pizza when you don't have the ingredients for your meal or are too tired to prep a meal. With some serious organization, you can stay on top of your game and not end up sabotaging your efforts.
Making New Habits
Changes don't just happen because you will them to. Anything new will take you about 21 times of doing it before it will become a new habit or become comfortable. Take the time to plan, implement and carry out your changes. Re evaluate often to see if you can improve the process.
Make the commitment to take care of you.
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