New Year’s Resolutions Tips

According to data collected by University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology in a 2014 study more than 45% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions, yet only 8% of Americans are successful at accomplishing their New Year’s Resolutions. They also found that people 20’s and under are more likely to accomplish New Year’s Resolutions than those adults 50 and over. Two of the top ten resolutions were related to health with losing weight number 1 and staying fit/eating healthy number 5. These resolutions can reasonably be correlated with 2015 as well, since statistics such as these do not tend to change drastically from one specific year to the next.

These numbers can seem daunting, and may deter you from setting your own goals or achieving ones you have already set. However, most often people tend to fail as one of a few things is true: their goal or time frame is unrealistic, they lack the support system to help them achieve the goal, or they do not properly map out sub-goals or a plan to help them achieve the main goal. Here are several tips below to help you navigate through the typical New Year’s resolution pot holes and become successful.

1. Set a realistic timeline, and within the timeline set sub-goals to check-off along the way. This allows you to feel progress toward goals and keep you motivated.
2. Find a friend or family member (support system) to hold you accountable for everyday tasks that will help you reach you goal/s.
3. Remember everything in moderation is a good thing. Before making any dramatic changes to your body or diet make sure you consult with a physical therapist or doctor.
4. Make sure to reward yourself for attaining fitness, diet and wellness goals along the way, as rewards tend to be tied to sense of pleasure and make things more exciting
5. It’s okay to fail, but that does not mean you should quit completely. Try a different approach or reach out to your support system for other ideas for a plan of attack if things are not going as planned.

1. Keep it modest. Pick one or two resolutions that are important enough to commit to and focus on them.