Ask The Experts: No More Resolutions This Year

By Lila Ojeda of LO Solutions
Tired of not being able to stick to your New Years resolutions? Stop setting big, unattainable goals. Here are some tips on how to make (and stick to) small, achievable daily resolutions.

If any of these scenarios sound like you, it might be time to start conquering daily resolutions instead of New Year’s Resolutions:  You have not yet started your New Year’s Resolution(s).
You have started and restarted your New Year’s Resolution(s) several times this month.
Before you started, you went full force in the other direction from Halloween till New Year’s because why not, you were going to change ON January 1st, right?
You have 'good' and 'bad' days with your resolution and can’t seem to move forward and make progress.
I often don’t recommend making resolutions because it is a concept that often gives someone an excuse to go full force in the opposite direction for however long they choose to (or can stand to), before they move forward in a positive direction with their goal. This full force backwards slide often makes the goal even harder to start because being quite off the mark can seem daunting and overwhelming. Sound familiar?

So, here’s what I’m saying: Let’s try to be more moderate, honest and truthful with ourselves and others, and move towards making daily, weekly and monthly resolutions so you can achieve them gradually, focus on the positive, and feel like you’re accomplishing goals instead of feeling like a failure mid-January because you didn’t DO your resolutions. Keep in mind - you can’t just DO a resolution or a goal for that matter. It takes many steps to reach a goal. For example, if you decide JUST now that you wanted to buy a car, you couldn’t just 'do it' without some steps: what kind, how much are they and how much can you spend, maybe test drive different models and then look around. I’m not saying to forget your resolutions this year, just that you might want to rethink the reality of your life situation and where the resolutions/goals you made fit, or don’t fit into that.

I personally don’t make resolutions because I’m working on goals every single day and when I think back, or come across old lists of goals, I can see I made progress. I still have to remind myself to think of how far I’ve come vs. what is left on my list, because making change is definitely a never ending process. Being healthy takes constant attention, but it’s worth it! It’s encouraging to start goals whenever the time is right in your life vs. waiting for a certain time.
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
So, here are 5 Ways to fine tune your goals:
IS IT SPECIFIC? If not, you might not know where you’re trying to go. For example, is your goal to eat healthier or exercise more? Specific goals are more achievable.
For example: e.g., walk 30 minutes M-W-F during my lunch break with my co-worker Suzie Q. TIP: Have a back-up plan.
IS IT ACHIEVABLE? Did you decide to exercise every single day, yet you don’t have a gym membership, you go to work and get off work when it’s dark outside, you hate 'exercise', your house doesn’t have any floor space and you almost always have a late meeting during the week? If so, that goal needs fine tuning and might need to be taken down a notch to make it realistic for your life situation. You might need to make a goal to rearrange your work schedule first and just start planning exercise into your life. TIP: Noticing and thinking is often step #1.
IS THIS GOAL IMPORTANT TO YOU? Are you working out because your significant other keeps saying you should? Make sure this goal is for you, or it just won’t work. Ask yourself how important this goal is on a scale of 1-10. Why are you that number and not lower? Why are you that number and not higher? Write this information down and see what you come up with. If it’s important, then ask yourself the next question:
ARE YOU CONFIDENT YOU CAN REACH YOUR GOAL? Again, use the 1-10 scale and analyze your answers. This might help you come up with ways to be more confident or you might find out you are in fact confident and this could increase your confidence even more to help you reach your goal.
DO YOU HAVE SUPPORT? You might think yes right away. However, make sure it’s real support and not something that seems like support that could back fire. For example, if you eat a healthy cookie you’re craving, is someone behind you saying, 'Should you be eating that?'...and then you get mad and eat the whole box to be self destructive and show that person you can do whatever you want?! If so, you might need to have a talk with your support system and ask them not to say anything when you eat a cookie because you’re trying to eat in moderation and have one daily treat/day, or whatever the case may be. Just be sure to surround yourself with supportive friends and family and tell someone your goal and get them involved to help hold you accountable (if that helps you). TIP: Your support system should ultimately help you succeed and not drag you down!
I hope the above information helps you make attainable goals and I wish you all the best of luck in reaching and maintaining your aspirations. TIP: Feel a little lost, overwhelmed or just plain stuck with your health goal(s)? Make an appointment with Lila - she will help you fine tune your goals into doable steps, and break down hidden barriers to help you successfully move forwards!

About Lila Ojeda: As owner of LO Solutions since 2000, Lila helps her clients overcome hidden barriers to achieve and maintain their goals. Lila’s passion for nutrition, food, health and fitness shines through instantly, and her constant energy, enthusiasm and knowledge helps her clients to make permanent, life long changes and enjoy food without the guilt! Lila strongly believes that proper nutrition is the foundation to a healthy, happy, long life and the only true way to achieve lasting results. These are the principals by which LO Solutions adheres to in order to help clients improve their lives.

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