A New Year and a New You – Dr. Chiarelli
New Year, New You
Around the new year there is a lot of talk about resolutions and goal setting in order to make improvements in our lives in some way. The most common resolutions include staying fit and getting healthy with almost 70% of people making some type of resolution in those areas. Despite the good intentions, approximately 80% of people fail at keeping their new year’s resolution by the 2nd week of February.
By making your resolutions realistic, there is a greater chance that you will keep them throughout the year and incorporate healthy behaviour into your everyday life. Here are a few tips when making your resolutions:
- Start Small – Make resolutions that you think you can keep. If you want to increase your physical activity level aim for 3 or 4 days a week instead of 7.
- Change one behaviour at a time – Unhealthy behaviours develop over time and thus reversing them will take time also. Begin my making one small change a time as to not get overwhelmed.
- Set SMART goals – When creating your resolutions make sure they are Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Bound goals
- Talk about it – Share your experience with family and friends in order to maintain accountability. Consider creating a group of friends or co-workers with the same resolutions to help you achieve yours. Search the app store on your smart phone for applications that allow you to share your goals with fiends and keep each other updated on your progress.
- Write it down – The physical act of writing down a resolution makes it realistic and tangible, and it gives you no excuse for forgetting about your goals.
- Don’t beat yourself up – Remember that minor missteps when reaching for your resolutions are normal. Don’t give up completely because you may have had a small set back, resolve to recover from your mistakes and get back on track.
And at the end if your resolutions don’t work out, well there’s always next year.
Written by Dr. Livia Chiarelli – should you need any support in your goals, Liv practices at the clinic Monday – Friday. Call for an appointment now! 905-475-0484