{"id":9310,"date":"2019-02-05T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T08:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.staging.healthcoachinstitute.com\/?p=9310"},"modified":"2022-03-02T19:00:13","modified_gmt":"2022-03-02T19:00:13","slug":"5-tips-to-help-you-crush-your-goals-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthcoachinstitute.com\/articles\/5-tips-to-help-you-crush-your-goals-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips to Help You Crush Your Goals This Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s an all-too-familiar story: we ring in the New Year with celebrations and enthusiastic promises to get healthier, eat better, exercise more. With the very best of intentions, we head straight to the gym on January 1, water bottle in hand and healthy meals planned. Yet, fast forward just a few weeks to mid-February, and 80% of us will have abandoned our health and wellness resolutions, according to this US News<\/a> article.

We all know reaching our health and wellness goals will make us feel great. So why do we give up so quickly? And more importantly, what can we do to stay on track\u2014even when the going gets tough? The answer has a lot to do with being prepared, persevering, accountability, and giving ourselves some freedom.

Here are some practical tips that can help you create a solid plan to crush your resolutions and have your best year yet:

1. Make your goals small and manageable.<\/strong>
When you first begin thinking about resolutions, remember to start small. People who vow to lose large amounts of weight in a short timeframe rarely succeed. That\u2019s because they usually don\u2019t think about the steps needed to actually reach that goal. After all, real improvements in health usually require one to change unhealthy habits, and trying to do it all at once can be overwhelming.

With smaller, more attainable goals, the likelihood of success increases significantly. For example, even if your long-term goal is to lose 50 pounds, you may want to make your New Year\u2019s resolution something more realistic in the short term, like eliminating soda and candy from your diet. It\u2019s one small change that can have a significant impact on your health, and because it\u2019s attainable, you\u2019ll have more confidence moving forward with other larger goals.

2. Write down specifics and hold yourself accountable.<\/strong>
Making a New Year\u2019s resolution like \u201cgo to the gym more\u201d or \u201ceat less sugar\u201d may seem like a good start, but the fact is goals that are too vague give you too much leeway. After all, what do you really mean by \u201cmore\u201d or \u201cless\u201d? And if you don\u2019t eat sugar, what will you do instead? A more effective resolution might be something like \u201celiminate soda from my diet and drink sparkling water instead\u201d. It\u2019s specific and it provides an alternative to the behavior you\u2019re trying to change.

Once you\u2019ve decided on a realistic and specific goal, it\u2019s important to get it down on paper and hold yourself accountable. We recommend creating a vision board to reinforce your goals and keeping it somewhere highly visible. A vision board will serve as a constant reminder of what you\u2019re working toward and encourage you to frequently assess if you\u2019re on track to meet your goal.

Another powerful strategy is to find an accountability partner. It could be a friend, your mom, colleague, significant other, or anyone else you find supportive and encouraging, and with whom you can share your goals and give regular updates on your progress. By employing these strategies, you\u2019ll be a lot more likely to achieve the goals you\u2019ve set for yourself.

3. Prepare for success.<\/strong>
According to renowned happiness researcher Shawn Anchor, author of The Happiness Advantage<\/em>, just 20 seconds of extra \u201cactivation effort\u201d or time needed to get started, is enough to cause most people not to do an activity. Being mindful of this 20-Second Rule can be key to making sure you stick to your resolution.

Examples of ways you can reduce your activation effort might include:<\/p>\n