How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions! (Part Two)
BY JASON JOHNSON
Don’t dive head first into that pool when it comes to your resolutions. Take it slow. Ease your way into the pool. Start at the shallow end. Spend some time in waist-deep water.
More specifically here is what I would recommend for you starting January 5th. Make S.M.A.R.T goals. Smart is an acronym for Specific,Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Tangible.
S-specific. Try to be very specific with your goals and write it down. Study after study has documented the correlation between writing down goals and achieving the goals. It works. Write the goal on paper and keep it somewhere visible as a constant reminder. For example, don’t say “I want to lose weight.” Instead, make your goal “I want to lose 30 lbs by March 1st.”
M-measureable. This goes hand in hand with specific. Try to make your goals measurable. By measurable, I am talking about things like pounds, inches, percentage of bodyfat, distance, etc. For example, a measurable goal would be “I want to weigh 140 lbs by March 1st ” “I want to be 12% bodyfat by June 1st.”Or, “I want to run a 5K by June 1st”
A-attainable. You need to make a goal that isn’t too easy to accomplish, but also not too hard to accomplish. Make sure the goal is within your limits.
R-realistic. This goes hand in hand with an attainable goal. But more specifically, you need to be realistic about where you currently stand in terms of fitness. Realistically, how much do you know about nutrition? How much do you know about exercising? These are questions to ask yourself when setting your goal.
T-timely. The goal needs to have some kind of time frame. For example, “…by June 1st” or “….by Memorial Day.” By giving your goal a time-specific deadline, you are much more likely to achieve your personal fitness goal.
Again, don’t just dive head first, take it slow. Ease your way into the water. Starting January 5th, exercise 1-2 times during the week. How about a Monday workout to jump start your week, and a Thursday workout to cruise you into the weekend? Make 1 or 2 positive changes to your diet this week. Cut out down on the regular sodas this week. Add vegetables to at least 1 meal.
Make this your year. Good luck in 2009!
