Have you ever abandoned your New Year’s Resolutions in February? Change your outlook. Replace your New Year’s Resolutions with a New You’s Resolution—a Plan for Success! Plan to make your NEW YOU an ACTIVE YOU. You will succeed when you plan to:
· Be ready to change. Do you have the desire, knowledge, and resources (i.e. family support, time, money) needed to make the change?
· Handle barriers to change. What are things that prevent you from successfully making the change? How can you anticipate and plan for these barriers?
· Recover from relapses. Expect to return to your old behavior. Try to figure out how you’ll approach your relapse. (Have you ever heard that it takes smokers 7 times of quitting before they are successful?)
Here are some suggestions to make your NEW YOU an ACTIVE YOU:
· Obtain more physical activity in little ways. Park your car further away and burn an extra few calories. Park your car at the fast food restaurant and walk in, instead of using the drive-thru.
· Don’t think of exercise as exercise. Convince yourself you’re becoming more physically active. Don’t use weight loss as a reason to exercise.
· Decide what you enjoy doing and set a small, reasonable goal. People are more likely to keep small goals than lofty ones! Write your goal down and keep it in a visible spot, i.e. the refrigerator or bathroom mirror.
· Reward yourself. Write down a reward you’ll give yourself if you keep your goal. Ideas: CD, a massage, a pedicure, a night-out.
· Enlist support. Get your family on-board with your changes. Create a monthly calendar & give your kids stickers when you exercise. Recruit your husband (or neighbor, friend) to watch the kids for 20-30 minutes while you go for a walk, bike, or roller-blading session. Or, bring your kids with you!
· Suck it up! Register for a class, a race, or an event! There are thousands of classes and events around the country that help motivate people to get active. Have you ever wanted to try tap-dancing or tae kwon do, do a triathlon or a 5K? Find a cause that you support and participate in an event that contributes (i.e. breast cancer, MS, March of Dimes, etc.) Grab a buddy and you’ll be even more likely to succeed.
Allie Thummel, Houston
Comments