Getting healthy and staying that way can be a real challenge. It might seem like making new resolutions for the New Year is impossible but it is the small changes that have the biggest impact overall. A great place to start is to identify changes that you can realistically make and that you can keep up no matter what.
Identify What is Making You Unhealthy
The first step to living a healthier life in the New Year is to take the time to identify what it is that is making you unhealthy in the first place. Do you overeat at night? Do you snack too much? Do you go out more often than you should? Are you not exercising? Does your mental health need work? These questions are all going to help you identify what it is that is challenging you and making your life harder which can really help you get on the path to a healthier life.
A great example is when someone is going through alcohol detox, they first take the time to find out what caused the addiction, was it the environment, was it the person themselves, was it some kind of trauma. Only after identifying the smaller issues can the major issue be taken care of. When starting new healthy habits, it is always best to start small then work your way up to bigger and better goals and prospects and challenges.
Set Realistic Goals
The next step is to set goals that are realistic and that you are actually going to be able to achieve and maintain. Do not set out thinking you are going to be able to lose 50lbs in a week or that you are going to be able to do a two-hour training session every day when you haven’t set foot in a gym in years. Setting small goals at first that you can use to create habits is the best method for making certain that you are going to be able to reach those goals and then keep them up after the fact.
Start out with something small to help set the tone for your entire day, try journaling for the first ten minutes of every day, or endeavor to wake up 15 minutes earlier so you can have some alone time before the rest of the day starts. Smaller changes are less intimidating and less challenging and are going to make reaching your goals easier and more possible than reaching for the moon the first day out.
Consistency Is Key
The real MVP of changing your life is consistency. You have to keep things going and make useful habits out of the things that you do every day. Take the time to do the smaller things in your routine every day, even when you might not feel like it. This will help encourage you to stay on the right track and to keep those changes in place so that you can make the most out of what you are doing and what you are trying to achieve.
Keeping a consistent routine is going to help you tick off those goals and make sure that the healthy changes you have made become consistent habits that are going to stick with you and have a positive impact on your life and on your healthy New Year’s resolution. Remember, losing weight is a great resolution, but it should not be your only focus. A healthy mind helps to make sure your body is going to be healthy as well and making positive changes will get you on the right track.