Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year Resolutions

So it's that time again. Most people make their resolutions and it takes about 8 days (national average) for them to vanish. Most people tend to make unattainable resolutions or resolutions that are not specific enough to be useful.

For someone who does not go to the gym to all of a sudden start going 5 days a week- probably not reasonable. Saying "I am going to get healthier" also not good. What does that mean? What does healthier look like? Is it a weight goal? A clothing size? Lowering cholesterol by X points?

Reasonable goal setting includes attainable and specific(measurable) goals. Some goals for the most common resolutions:

1. Spend more time with family.

Better: Spend 20 minutes per day with my spouse and kids with no TV, computer, or other distrations. (Sounds easy, right? Try it.)

2. Get in better shape.

Better: Go to the gym 2 days per week to lose 15 lbs and 2 inches from my waist by February 28. (specific and measurable)

3. Eat healthier.

Better: Eat a salad with at least 1 meal each day with a good salad dressing (no sugar).

The idea of setting smaller goals seems silly to most people. We all think we can accomplish huge changes. The truth is we can- but not so suddenly. Starting with a smaller reasonable goals with a deadline allows us to take measurable steps towards the bigger goals. It also allows us successes along the way that we can be proud of.