Setting goals and forming sustainable habits
When it comes to making promises for the New Year, we are all in the habit of letting ourselves down and breaking those resolutions just a few weeks into the year. So, how can you go about setting realistic goals and forming sustainable habits that will bring about real, lasting change in the new year?
When it comes to developing new goals for the future, it helps to work toward them with a more gradual approach rather than expecting to change immediately. So, here are some tips on how to set attainable, realistic goals for the new year using strategies that really work.
1. Write your goals down and review your progress
Simply writing your goals down and sticking them up somewhere visible in your home is already a big step towards helping you view your New Year’s resolutions as more permanent objectives.
In the same way, journaling about your progress can help you keep your goals in mind and track your achievements so that you have something concrete to refer to during times that you find yourself straying from your resolution or losing sight of your goals.
It’s important to regularly acknowledge the progress you’ve made and the small achievements you accomplish every week. Keeping a diary is also a great way to note any areas that you’re currently struggling or any habits that you’re having trouble with breaking.
2. Allow yourself some flexibility
Setting goals is a great way to work towards achieving a set objective (such as losing weight, getting a promotion or improving at a sport) but, if you find a resolution too difficult to stick to, it’s always much better to re-evaluate and rework your long-term goals instead of completely dropping your New Year’s resolution when it starts to seem too challenging. The key is to focus on setting more fluid objectives rather than rigid, inflexible goals.
When it comes to developing long-term, sustainable goals, don’t be afraid to adjust the goal to a lower intensity in the beginning and continue working towards the same end result over time.
3. Avoid quitting habits ‘cold-turkey’
Quitting habits ‘cold turkey’ will often result in a higher degree of failure, and the effect of this sudden change to your routine can actually be counteractive.
For example, declaring yourself completely junk-food free or totally plant-based in the new year is a great objective to work towards, but a very difficult change to make off-the-bat.
Instead of making your goal to eat less unhealthy food, why not focus on trying to eat more healthy food at the start. You may feel more deprived if you think of taking something away. But choosing to add good, balanced and hearty foods to your diet is a great way to slowly replace those unhealthy foods and work towards the same end goal.
4. Set goals that are realistic and attainable
While it is always important to dream big, it’s essential that you consider whether the goal you’re setting is really applicable to you and your current lifestyle. Time restraints, lack of experience or financial restraints could be working against you, and you run the risk of losing motivation and setting yourself up to fail when you don’t take these considerations into account.
When setting goals, the most effective strategy is to plan your steps towards achieving these goals wisely and establishing a realistic time frame, process and action plan.
5. Be smart about how you achieve your goals
Sticking to a new workout routine or eating plan can be difficult, and when you are working towards a challenging goal, things are bound to get a little tough. Having someone at your side to motivate and encourage you along the way will help to make the process a little easier, and it’s the perfect way to keep one another accountable. Remember to seek advice from your partner and ask them about their own struggles or accomplishments that they have experienced along the way.
Try to design goals that can be accomplished with a partner. Surrounding yourself with constant encouragement from someone else who is following your progress and working towards the same end goal will get you one step closer to maintaining motivation and achieving your objectives.
6. Reward yourself for small achievements
Remember that change doesn’t come overnight and rewarding yourself for achieving small milestones can be a great way to keep your motivation levels high and renew your inspiration as you continue to work towards real, permanent change in your life.
This could be something as simple as taking yourself out to breakfast at the end of the week, setting aside time to read a book you enjoy for 30 minutes, making a delicious, gourmet dessert or even just enjoying an at-home spa day.
Giving yourself small rewards along the way will help you to better enjoy the journey towards building sustainable, long-lasting habits. The idea is not to punish yourself for failing to attain your goal but to reward yourself for the small steps and signs of progress you’re able to make.
Reboot the New Year with WellBe
Here at WellBe we want to give you the right tools to strengthen your mind and your body. That’s why we’ve developed our two new 12 week nutrition and training guides to help you live every day with a clear intention to get closer to achieving your goals and living a more happy, motivated life.
Our easy-to-implement, lifestyle-focussed nutrition, training and health solutions are fun, simple and the perfect way to improve your focus and renew your motivation for the year ahead with a variety of healthy, balanced meal plans and killer workout routines.