By now, those New Year’s resolutions have been made. Are you one of the millions who carefully drafted a New Year’s resolution list for 2019? If getting and staying healthy is part of that list, you may want to take a look at these nine tips to boost health year-round from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and make sure you haven’t missed anything important! If you are on Facebook, you can view the video here. While many people vow to lose weight, exercise more, and eat better, good health is about so much more than that.
What about STICKING with those resolutions once you have made them? It isn’t easy, but you CAN do it. Here are some great tips on how to stick with those resolutions, whether they are health-focused or in other areas of life.
- Start small. Make sure your resolutions are not so grandiose that no one could possibly achieve them. Small smarts will ensure that you have a better chance to succeed, which means you then build up even more confidence to tackle MORE!
- Change ONE behavior at a time. If you hope to quit smoking, reduce the number of sweets you eat, schedule more exercise time, and try to get 8 hours of sleep per night, it is likely going to be overwhelming to do all of that at once. Start with one behavior, work on it, and make some progress before you tackle another.
- Enlist the support of others. Maybe you need an accountability partner to make sure you are hitting the gym three times a week. OR maybe you need someone to call when you get the urge for a cigarette. A friend, family member, or co-worker may be just what you need to help provide the needed support as you make healthy changes. Sometimes professional help is needed, and that’s o.k. too. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your health care provider if you need help and support that goes beyond that family and friends can provide.
- Celebrate small successes. Nobody flawlessly achieves each and every goal that is set. Success is not a linear process and sometimes we take one step backward for every two steps forward, but we are still ahead! Celebrate the small successes and be inspired to move ahead. If you have a relapse and have that cookie, get back on track right away and don’t beat yourself up for slipping up.
Here’s to a Happy and Healthy 2019!
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