5 Tips to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

New Year's resolutions. Nearly all of us make them, but very few of us stick to them for long. We get bored, lose motivation, or simply forget the goals for our future that we made so sincerely just days, weeks, or months before when the clock struck midnight.

Here are 5 simple tips to increase the likelihood that you will keep your New Year's resolution.

Tip 1: Develop an Action Plan

This is the most simple of the tips, but also the most important, which is why it comes in at number one. Too often, we set lofty goals with the best of intentions, but these goals do not bridge the gap between where we are today, and where we will be when we reach our goals. This is the “how” of the goal that most of us ignore, and for good reason. Finding the answer to how to reach our goals forces us to think about real, actionable, steps that we need to take to make it possible. It forces us to face the reality that the journey to success is not always easy, which can be discouraging. To counter the fear of what lies ahead, an action plan is critical. Think about the small victories that will get you to where you want to be, step by step. Then, knock off each of these accomplishments one at a time. By eliminating the wide gap of uncertainty between ourselves and our goals for the future, an action plan provides a framework from which we can act out our intentions, in whatever form they may take.

Tip 2: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Especially if your resolution involves weight loss. We're big fans of the phrase, “One bad meal won't make you fat, just like one good meal won't make you skinny.” The reality of any resolution is that it won't always go the way you would like it to go. There will be bumps in the road, and that's not just OK, it's normal. Successful people understand that they will falter from time to time, but that there is always an opportunity to get back on track. If you think of your life as one big possibility, then each decision you make is a chance to become exactly who you would like to be. If your goal is to lose weight, and you find that you have overeaten at a given meal, or even throughout the day, you have a choice to make. What possibility will you make a reality? Will you beat yourself up, and possibly even wind up fueling further poor nutritional choices? Or will you acknowledge your failure without shame, and reaffirm your commitment to making better choices in the future? If you pick the latter, you will be one your way to your weight loss goal in no time at all.

Tip 3: Be Realistic

While lofty goals can be a great motivator for change, they can also become discouraging if we do not see the progress we expect. If you are not a mountain climber today, it may be a bit of a stretch to resolve to climb Mt. Everest before this time next year. Likewise, if you have a lot of weight to lose, it's best to be realistic about the time-frame you set out to lose it in. You might be surprised to know that a weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week is considered healthy, and that for most people, weight loss beyond this level may be simply water weight. Even worse, rapid weight loss results often come in the form of lean mass reduction, instead of what you really want to target, fat. At a rate of 1-2 pounds lost per week, it is realistic to expect that a person who wished to lose 50 pounds would require five months, or more, to do so safely. Lastly, before starting any weight loss regimen, visit your doctor and ask him or her about different weight loss methods, and any concerns you should take into account before beginning.

Tip 4: Make Your Resolution Known

This one is really simple, and extremely effective. Share your resolution with family members, friends, and coworkers. In doing so, a few things will occur. First, you may find that there are others who have set the same, or similar, goals. These people can help to hold you accountable, and become the motivation that you need to succeed at whatever you've set out to achieve. Second, when we share our intent with the world, we can no longer tuck it away in the deep recesses of our brains. Once it's out, we are much more likely to act out the steps necessary to be successful. Third, you just might inspire others by your actions. Having a support network that not only encourages you to stick it out to the end, but also relies upon you for the very same support can be extremely motivating.

Tip 5: Make Resolutions That Fit into Your Lifestyle

This tip is often easier said than done, but with a little bit of effort and creativity, nearly any goal can be accomplished if you give yourself enough time. But that's just it, we don't all have an abundance of extra time on our hands. In fact, many of us are busy from the moment we wake up in the morning, until the moment we rest our head on our pillows at night. If this sounds like you, there are solutions out there that you may not have even known existed. For instance, if your New Year's resolution is to lose a specific amount of weight, and you've followed the advice in tip one of creating an action plan, you might be worried that there isn't enough time in the day to perform each of the necessary steps to prepare the healthy meals that you have included as part of your plan.

Maybe it's the shopping that you don't have time for, or perhaps you simply do not enjoy cooking and know that it will take you hours to prepare the meals you have selected. Whatever the case, there is a solution - bistroMD diet delivery. Our innovative approach to weight loss provides healthy and delicious meals prepared with fresh ingredients, right to your door.

BistroMD program members rest easy knowing that their weight loss program was developed under the guidance of the nation's premier weight loss expert, Dr. Caroline J. Cederquist. Members simply place their order online, log into the mybistromd.com member customization tool to select the meals they wish to receive each week. It doesn't get any easier than that. When it's time to eat, the fully cooked meals require just a few minutes in the microwave and they're ready to enjoy.

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