Forget About Goals
If you set a goal to lose 10 pounds, but only lose 5, are you disappointed? Or do you celebrate the the loss? Too often we look towards the outcomes we want and don’t appreciate the efforts we put in to get there. When it comes to setting goals, sometimes the best way to achieve success is to forget about the finish line for now.
One Step at a Time
If you have to climb 4o floors of a building it would be too overwhelming to think about going all the way to the top. You would be better off, looking at one step at a time knowing that every step you take is getting you closer to where you need to be. If you make resolutions, focus on the behaviors that you need to do everyday and trust that those behaviors will get you the results you expect. When you feel discouraged waiting for results, ask yourself, did I do everything today that I should to expect results to come?
Losing Weight Isn’t About the Scale
Losing weight is one of the most common New Year Resolutions. Forget about the scale and the pounds and focus on the behaviors you can practice every day to get you to a healthier size.
1- Follow a meal plan. A meal plan such as Myplate.gov, weight watchers, or the DASH diet can help to make sure that you are balancing the amount of calories you consume.
2- Exercise daily. Successful participants in the National Weight Control Registry who lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off long term report exercising an average of 60 minutes a day.
3- Eat a healthy breakfast daily. A breakfast with protein and whole grains will keep your metabolism burning all day and make you less apt to overeat later in the day.
4- Sleep at least 7 hours a night. Less than 7 hours of sleep can cause spikes in cortisol a chemical that leads to weight gain.
5- Limit TV watching time to 2 hours or less a day. Spend more time outside or moving indoors and less time in front of a screen.
These 5 simple steps practiced daily will lead you to a healthier weight that will be easy to maintain.
For a fun and easy challenge to get back in balance in 2014, learn more about the 6 week Healthy Balance Challenge.
