In my last post, Re: New Year’s Resolutions, I shared some of the best tips I found on actually achieving your goals for the year. With those methods in mind, let’s chat about some of the most common resolutions that people have, and how we can make sure we stay on track this year.
1. Losing Weight – Finding Motivation
Losing weight is one of the most common goals that people set for the new years. Everyone’s typically not feeling so great about their bodies after the holiday feasts, and can’t wait to have a “fresh start”. The problem with this is, after the warm, fuzzy, inspiring feeling of the new year disappears, so does our motivation to keep up with our fitness. After a month or two, no one can find the motivation to exercise or the will power to refuse junk food.
So, how do you re-spark your motivation? There are a few things you can do. One of the best options is to find someone to be your health-kick buddy. You can give each other motivation, helping each other through the tough times. If you don’t know anyone to go on this health journey with you, you can take a look at weight loss forums, so that you can get support in this manner instead?
Aside from this, little reminders and words of encouragement can help. Following health accounts on Instagram (and less food accounts) is a good way to stay motivated. You should also set your phone wallpaper as something motivational. This could be the size you want to be or a photo of you at your biggest – whatever works for you! Or, it could be a motivational quote. Or, how about a countdown to an event you have got going on?
2. Giving Up Alcohol – Strategies That Work
Help giving up alcohol is crucial if you are going to succeed. Whether you are looking to permanently kick the habit, or just want to take a break and give your body and mind a rest, it’s much easier to achieve with the right support. Read on for some tips to help you in your quest…
Giving up alcohol is not easy in a society where it is at the heart of almost every celebration and social event. Many people attempt to achieve their goal by cutting themselves off from the places and people that they associate with drinking. The problem with this approach is that it can leave you very lonely and without a support system. When considering how to stop drinking, support from those around you is essential. If you don’t have this, then it is important to find those who will support you and will celebrate your progress, as well as be there when you are finding things difficult.
Achievable goals are also important; many people fail because they utter the famous words ‘I’m never going to drink again’ only to reach for a pint when the enormity of the task sinks in. Start with something small, set a start date and a goal. Once you achieve this, set a new goal and so on. Share your progress with your support network to help keep you going. Sober friendships can be beneficial too, as you can do activities together that do not involve alcohol. It also helps to recognize the positive effects that not drinking is having on your body and mind. Keep a note of these changes so that when you are struggling, you can look back and remind yourself why you are doing this and how far you have come.
3. Better work/life balance
Last but not least, a lot of people promised themselves that 2019 was going to be the year that they focused on having work/life balance. Are you one of these people, yet February has come and you spend all of your time glued to the computer? If so, you need to find some strategies to help you achieve this goal.
A good place to start is with mastering the art of scheduling. You should learn how to put together a realistic schedule, which you will be able to switch with, and make sure you actually schedule free time into this so that you have periods of the day dedicated to relaxing or spending time with loved ones.
Hopefully, the advice provided above will help you to get back on track!
