Many people will be thinking about their new year’s resolutions this week. With New Year’s Day falling on a Sunday, the start of a new week, it’s inviting to consider embracing a whole new lifestyle to kick off the new year. Unfortunately, many people set goals that are unrealistic and end up feeling discouraged.
Set yourself up to succeed this year by choosing one or two habits to implement that will improve your overall health. Perhaps it’s replacing soda with unsweetened iced tea or water. If an all-out switch is too lofty, start with just one day a week. You can always increase the days as you go. Here are some other possible habits you might consider starting with:
- Walking ten minutes (or once around the block) every day.
- Eating one serving of vegetables at lunch and/or dinner every day.
- Listing ten things to be grateful for every day.
- Keeping a food diary of what you eat.
- Incorporating one physical activity the family can do together every weekend, such as hiking, swimming, or Frisbee.
- Setting an alarm to remind yourself every 90 minutes to get up and stretch when at your desk.
Adopting small, simple habits will enable you to be successful, and success breeds success. Start with just one or two and once you have those down, add another or step those up. If you miss a day, don’t worry. Just start over. The point is not to be perfect, but to be on the path.