8 Tips for Sticking to Your "Get Healthy" Goals

It’s easy to get caught up in the fervor of self-improvement and New Year’s resolutions.  Unfortunately, many people give up on their resolutions or completely forget about them, only days after they’ve been set.  Here are some tips to help you see your goals attained: 1.  Write down your goals.  You can’t forget a goal if it is written on a piece of paper in large bold print and taped to your bathroom mirror. 

2.  Announce your goals.  Announcing your goals to your friends and family can be a great way to not only be held accountable for achieving them, but also to get offers of support.  For example, if you decide to cut processed sugars out of your diet, your family can help by not bringing candy, cookies and other sweets into your home. 

3.  Plan it out.  Having a plan to achieve puts you in control of the steps.  Develop a plan and tape it to your bathroom mirror right under your goal.  Now you know each and every day what you need to do to be successful.

4.  Develop a positive outlook.  Smile.  You’re capable of achieving your goal.  If you’re having a bad day or you find a negative thought about your goal sneaking in, like Tinkerbell says, “Think happy thoughts.”  Find a happy trigger; maybe it is a memory, maybe it is a favorite song, maybe all you need to do is step outside and get some sunshine. 

5.  Acknowledge your setbacks.  Setbacks happen.  Sometimes you just can’t help but eat that piece of chocolate cake or skip a workout.  Acknowledge the setback, don’t punish yourself for it, and look forward.  Determine why the setback happened, what you can do next time temptation arises to motivate yourself to stick to your resolution, and move on.  Learn from your setbacks, don’t judge yourself.  You’re making positive changes in your life and that is a great thing!

6.  Take small steps.  Which feels easier to attain, running 1 mile or running 26?  Running 2 miles or running 26?  Running 3 miles or running 26?  Of course the smaller goals are easier to attain.  It’s much easier to say, “I’m going to run 1 mile and I’m going to be able to do it in 2 weeks” than to say, “I’m going to run a marathon in July.”  Small steps make your goals feel much easier to accomplish, and each small success will motivate you to continue succeeding.

7.  Visualize success.  Visualization is a powerful success tool.  Athletes use the tool to win races, speakers use the tool to practice giving speeches, and you can use it too.  When you know you’re going to succeed, when you can see it happen, it will actually happen.  Visualization is easy and you can practice it.  Close your eyes and visualize yourself achieving your goal.  If it helps, write down how you’re feeling, imagining that you’ve just attained success.  Describe how you’re feeling, what you look like, and how your friends are helping you celebrate. 

8.  Bring along friends.  Friends motivate, they keep us laughing and they get us through the tough times.  Help your friend while they’re helping you.