Six steps to help you
achieve your goals.
As you make your New Year's resolutions for 2006, use them as an opportunity to adopt or reinforce a healthier lifestyle.
To set yourself up for success rather than disappointment, your
resolutions should be a stretch, yet reasonably attainable. Try
focusing on small, intermediate goals that will ultimately lead you to
your primary goal. Don't expect to be perfect. Aim for changes that you
are comfortable with and that eventually can become a permanent part of
your lifestyle.
The Health Collaborative offers these tips for setting New Year's
resolutions for a healthier lifestyle.
Take
small steps. Simply establishing the goal of leading a healthy
lifestyle or enhancing your current commitment to a healthy lifestyle
should make you feel good about yourself. To make that goal more
attainable, come up with small goals you know you can meet each day to
help keep yourself feeling positive. Accomplishing the smaller goals
will leave you with a more immediate feeling of success. If your goals
are too large, you may get caught up in them and feel disappointed when
you do not see immediate results.
Plans based on small behavioral changes are easier to stick to than vague resolutions such as "I will lose 10 pounds."
If your resolution is a substantial one, add a plan of action that will
guide you toward your goal. Rather than "I will exercise more," try "I
will go for a walk at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays and work out in
the gym Mondays and Fridays." This way you can feel a sense of
accomplishment every day, and if you miss a day, you can get right back
on track rather than feeling like a failure.
Change
for yourself. Any goals that you set should come from a sincere desire
to change for yourself. Research has shown that negative feelings are a
frequent cause of relapse in behavioral change, and resolutions that
feel like punishment can cause negative feelings.
All resolutions should be perceived as positive changes that will help
you reach optimal health and well-being. Don't decide to change to
please anyone other than yourself. And remember, resolutions are an
opportunity for you to look forward in a positive way rather than to
punish yourself for past behaviors.
Be
creative. Perhaps you can find ways to be active while also
accomplishing other goals. If weather permits, try walking to do
errands that are in close proximity to your home or office. Maybe you
need to spend more time with your family. Try walking with a family
member or bringing your children along on bikes while you walk or jog.
If your goal is to make new friends, try taking classes where you will
meet other people who share your same exercise interests. If your goal
is to spend more time with good friends, start a walking club or join a
health club or exercise class together.
Be
realistic. Be sure that your plan of action is realistic. Plan to work
out at times when it is convenient for you. If you are not a morning
person, do not plan to work out early in the morning, or you'll just be
setting yourself up for failure.
Try to
make things as easy as possible for yourself. Set your goals at
reasonable heights so that you can reach them one by one without
feeling overwhelmed. The only way your goal is going to become reality
is if you believe in it and, most of all, if you believe in yourself.
It may help you reinforce your goal if you can find a realistic role
model who is actually living your goal. If they can do it, so can you!
Anticipate
roadblocks and reward yourself for successes. If things like weather
and illness will prevent you from sticking to your plan, make alternate
plans for situations that you cannot avoid. Most importantly, do not
let a missed day or two throw you completely off target. Instead, do
your best to get back on track as quickly as possible, which should not
be extremely difficult if you have set appropriate goals.
It is easier to stick to your plan when you feel good about yourself.
Try to find a new way to reward yourself when you meet your smaller
goals. If you are trying to eat healthier, be sure that all of your
meals are still delicious, and allow yourself a small dessert after a
few days of healthy habits.
Be sure to get involved in activities that keep you feeling happy and fulfilled.
Build
a support system. Get the support of your family, friends and
co-workers. If your resolution involves quitting a serious addiction
such as smoking, drinking or an eating disorder, get professional help
and join a support group if possible.
Remember that you are your best supporter. You are trying to improve
your own health. Appreciate what you have and then try to treat it a
little bit better than you have in the past. If you take better care of
your body, you will feel better and perform better at all that you do.
Keep in mind that a resolution that is well thought out can be a useful
tool to help you live your life the best way possible, starting from
the inside.
A cutting-edge, public-private model for solving community health
issues, The Health Collaborative began informally in 1997 when several
area health care organizations agreed to put aside their competitive
business practices to conduct the first community health assessment.
Their mission is to improve the health status of the community through
collaborative means. Representatives of this group are dedicated to the
health and well-being of our community in the spirit of collaboration.
Partners include the major health systems in San Antonio and Metro
Health.
Joan M. Miller can be reached at (210) 481-2573 or by e-mail at jmmiller@healthcollaborative.net
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