Break Weight Loss Down into Short Term Goals

It is important to reassess your strategies for achieving your New Year’s resolution every three to six months. That will allow you to adjust your plan while moving forward with the healthier habits you’ve adopted. If you feel like you are already failing and ready to abandon your resolution, long-term goals are simple to state but may seem too difficult and too far away to attain. Break your processes down into smaller short-term goals to make lifestyle changes easier. If you are already struggling with your resolution, it is a good time for a review. Adopting a new lifestyle means identifying behaviors that led to weight gain and adopting healthier patterns, but it is crucial to keep a positive attitude. Goals like drinking water with your meals are easier to attain than outcome goals like losing 50 pounds. Just remember, living a longer, healthier life is probably more important in the long run than shedding a specified amount of weight in the next two months.

• 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 - A weight loss buddy can add immediate accountability for targeting your New Year’s resolutions, as well as make workouts more fun.
• Start with Simple Activities - When you choose activities that are fun, you won’t feel as pressured to set aside time for exercising. Picking physical activities that you hate will not help you shed weight.
• Add Low Impact Exercise - Locals can live a lifetime in the same area and never take advantage of historic walking tours. Find a nearby nature path and invite a friend or family member to stroll.
• Break Up Physical Activities - Growing your own vegetables and herbs in a backyard garden has a win-win appeal. Not only will you be burning calories, homegrown provides an opportunity for ground to table meals.

If you started working on your New Year’s resolution without a plan, you may have already experienced obstacles. To avoid setbacks, write down what you believe you need to do to reach your first short-term goal. Realize that once you make a resolution to change your behavior, it is something that you will continue to work on and manage for the rest of your life. So, don’t be discouraged by short-term failures or challenges. To get on track, tackle each element of your weight loss plan individually. For example, cut out junk food or reduce your portion sizes or eat three helpings of vegetables a day. If you focus on taking tiny steps, you increase your odds of reaching short-term goals as well as ultimately attaining your New Year’s resolution.