Focus on Creating New Habits for Life

Every year in America, millions of men and women resolve to lose weight. If your resolution is to lose 2 to 5 pounds a month, your plan should include immediate goals like eating 4 helpings of veggies a day, drinking water with your meals, and walking 40 minutes a day. It is so easy to fall back into old habits as soon as something goes wrong. Help protect your resolution by avoiding situations where you are likely to stray from your new routine. Remember, it is easy to set lofty resolutions during the holidays. If you bit off more than you can chew, establish some realistic short-term goals that can help you overcome any struggles you have with a lack of willpower. Create a daily to-do list that focuses on an achievable goal and plan exactly how you intend to accomplish it over the coming weeks and months.

• Start with Simple Activities - If you already walk your dog, you can easily add physical activity to your program by taking a couple extra laps or surprise your furry friend by engaging in walks twice a day.
• Add Low Impact Exercise - People who think walking is the most boring exercise ever are not thinking outside the box. Cities, suburbs, and country settings all offer intriguing trails for low-impact activities.
• Break Up Physical Activities - Riding your bicycle is an effective and fun way to increase your heart rate and burn calories. Since your physical activity needs to be routine, start commuting to nearby parks or stores.
• Add Strength Training - According to the American College of Sports Medicine, engaging in 35 minutes of strength training each day can achieve significant weight loss.
• Work Your Way Up - You can launch your resolution to exercise more by adopting a daily stretching routine. As your flexibility improves, you can unleash your inner wild child with fewer physical setbacks.
• Recruit an Exercise Buddy - If you recruit an exercise buddy or two, you can make plans for engaging in fun group activities after your workout is done. Weight loss buddies more than double each other’s chance for losing weight.

Whether your New Year’s resolution is going great or has already stalled, it is important to focus on the processes that guide the healthy behaviors you’ve added to your day. Not only should your weight loss goals be realistic, but it is also important that they are measurable. Unless you establish timelines to work towards, you are likely guilty of “someday syndrome” and could be failing without knowing it. You have to accept the fact that road you are on is never going to be straight. Permanent weight loss is really a consistency game where you manage sustainable food habits around ever bend and over every obstacle. Many people make New Year’s resolutions, but few see them through. If you have decided it is time to lose weight and restore your health, take advantage of a free consultation with an experienced weight loss specialist.