When 2008 turned to 2009, champagne corks popped, bubbly flowed and resolutions have been made. As usual, many New Year’s resolutions will involve goals for improved diet, exercise, and weight loss. Unfortunately, by the end of January, a multitude of the resolutions will lose their fizz as determination becomes flat.
We at TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) share the following tips to help make New Year’s resolutions stick:
- Make it nonnegotiable.
- Set a plan.
- Combat standard excuses and rationalizations.
- Use procrastination as an advantage.
- Schedule exercise.
- Monitor your behavior.
- Focus on the horizon.
- Take it one choice and one day at a time.
- Find someone who is accomplishing weight loss and imitate them.
- React kindly to mistakes.
Committing to the effort “no matter what” is the first step. Vary when, where, and how if needed, but the effort itself must remain constant.
Know what to accomplish and when. Some examples: walk 30 minutes a day by
noon, decrease sugar intake by the weekend, or go to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday.
Proactively silence the good intention vs. discipline debate. Each of us knows the individual excuses that come too easily. Don’t lose forward momentum in advance, be aware of, write down, and respond to excuses before they become an issue.
People who procrastinate as a habit are forced into action by some external deadline. To prompt weight loss, focus on an external deadline, such as a wedding or reunion.
Make an appointment on the calendar to exercise and keep it. Aim for exercising 30 minutes a day.
Monitoring can take the form of writing a food diary, counting the glasses of water sipped daily, calculating the number of calories burned while exercising, and so on. A written record is particularly helpful to check later, when a memory boost is needed.
Measure the progress made, which scientists call the horizon effect. It’s encouraging to see progress – motivation grows when the goal is in sight. Repeat winning techniques for more success.
Don’t worry about forever. Any change is more manageable and less overwhelming in smaller doses.
When it comes to eating right and exercising, observe and copy a successful person to see what they’re doing to get good results. If correct choices are duplicated, then results quite possibly can be duplicated, too.
Everyone makes mistakes. When that happens, avoid falling into the traps of shame and guilt.
TOPS Club, Inc., the nation’s oldest nonprofit weight-loss education and support organization, is celebrating 60 years of weight-loss support and success in 2008. Founded and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., TOPS promotes successful weight management with a philosophy of healthy eating, regular exercise, wellness education and support from others at weekly chapter meetings. Visitors are welcome to attend their first TOPS meeting free of charge. www.tops.org; 800.932.8677 for more information.