For SELF, by Nina Bahadur.
Set yourself up for success with these ideas.
Setting a New Year’s resolution is the easy part — it’s sticking to one that is actually hard.
Experts agree that people make resolutions with the best of intentions, but often inadvertently set themselves up for failure. “Change is hard. We are creatures of habit,” June Kloubec, Ph.D., a professor in the department of nutrition and exercise science at Bastyr University, previously told SELF.
To set yourself up for success: Write down your goals, share them with someone to help keep yourself accountable, and make sure they are as specific and achievable as possible. Rome wasn’t built in a day, people. The most important thing: making sure your goals are actually reasonable.
Here are five small but meaningful changes you could think about making.
Eat mindfully.
The idea behind mindful eating is pretty basic: If you take the time to truly savor what you are eating, without distractions, then your body will tell you when you're full and what it's craving. The hope is that mindful eating can lead you to a balanced, healthy diet that also includes your favorite treats. "If you pay attention to your food you are psychologically more satisfied by it," Dr. David Cox, chief medical officer at mindful meditation app Headspace, previously told SELF.
Go to sleep — and wake up — at the same time.
“People focus on getting enough sleep and that’s important, but a lot of people don’t emphasize the importance of a consistent sleep/wake schedule,” Rachel Salas, M.D., an associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins Medicine specializing in sleep medicine, previously told SELF. Try putting yourself on a regular sleep schedule, and see how it makes you feel.
Find workouts that will help you achieve your goals.
First, narrow down what it is you want to achieve at the gym, whether that’s building muscle, increasing flexibility or burning fat. Then try workouts that are aligned with your goals — and that you enjoy, so you’re more likely to keep coming back.
*Learn more: 10 Of The Best Workouts For Weight Loss*
Cut down on sugar.
It turns out that the average American consumes over 77 pounds of sugar or sweetener each year, even though eating too much of it increases your risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Think about evaluating how much sugar you actually consume, and if it's a lot, take steps to cut back a bit. "Cutting back on sugar is a gradual process and doesn’t happen overnight, but once you start to cut back on it, you’ll realize you don’t need as much of it as you once thought," Chelsea Elkin, M.S., R.D., C.D.N. previously told SELF. "And it doesn’t have to be complicated."
*Learn more: 9 Simple Tricks To Cut Extra Sugar Out Of Your Diet.*
Drink a bit more water.
If you want to up your water intake, try keeping a water bottle at your desk, drinking a glass before starting each meal, or sipping some H20 when you’re feeling peckish (experts say that we often confuse hunger and thirst). And if you don't know how much water you should be drinking each day, we've got you covered.
Learn more: 12 Easy Ways to Drink More Water Every Day*
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