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Keep Your New Years Resolution This Year!

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January 1st is right around the corner, and this is always a time to think of a New You in the New Year. Every year, among our goals are better physical health and better financial health (see graphic below). Unfortunately, according to a recent study, only less than two weeks into the new year is when people start to fail on their resolutions. And, in this same study, only 8 percent of people achieve their New Year’s goals.

Here are Five Tips To Help Keep Your New Years Resolution:

  1. Start Small: Many of my patients have lofty goals of losing a lot of weight, eating completely healthy, and eliminating stress. Keep it simple. Start slow, celebrate those small wins which will add up to your long term goals

  2. Change One Behavior At A Time: It’s easy to visualize the ideal and perfect you. But, it’s also easy to overwhelm yourself with trying to change everything at once. Work toward changing one thing at a time.

  3. Talk About It: The more you share your goal with others, the more they will support you through this process. Don’t go at it alone. Your support system should keep you on track in a loving and caring way to help you achieve your goal.

  4. Track Your Progress: One of the ways you can keep yourself accountable is to write down your progress somewhere. Some people keep a notebook and write themselves notes. Other people use smartphone apps and send themselves electronic reminders. These will show you how far you have come, and what you can continue to improve.

  5. Don’t Beat Yourself Up; The road to your goal will be bumpy, and you will have setbacks every once in a while. If you have a bad day, this is not a sign to give up completely. Re-evaluate things, lean on your support system, and get back on track tomorrow.

For my patients trying to achieve their health goals, I tell them that it took a long time for you to be smoking this much, or to get to this weight, or to be stressed out about things. It will take a long time to get back on track. With time, dedication, patience, commitment, and support from others, you will be able to achieve your New Years goals!