Don’t Let Your New Year Resolutions Fade

We are now 2 months into the New Year and the question for all of us is how are we doing on our New Year resolutions of “dieting”; “exercising”; “losing weight”…?

Daily life keeps us so busy that we can lose energy and motivation to work out and eat healthier. It happens so gradually that we hardly take notice. We start off strong, then things happen and we promise to get back on track and we may but not as frequently and then not at all and we fall back into old habits. If we reflect over the past few weeks… have you been a little more lax with what you eat? Do you feel a little more discouraged? The further behind you get the harder it is to revamp and start again.

If you are in a slump, this is a perfect time to break free. It may be as hard as it was at the first of the year, but once you get moving again and taking positive steps, you quickly will get your forward momentum to fitness and health.

Two quick tips to start the positive motion:

Schedule some exercise time into your day today. You don’t need to schedule 60 minutes or 45 minutes, it can be 15 minutes. Just start moving. The biggest predictor of whether you work out tomorrow is whether you work out today. Beginning is always the tough part as we know. Take a walk, walk the stairs at work; do simple calisthenics: squat; push-up(wall push-up); lunges; high knee marches.

Decide on your eating plan: One of the best things you can do to get back on track is draw a line in the sand and don’t step over it. Make healthy choices today, tomorrow and in the future. Eat for energy and vitality not habit or senseless eating.

Taking the first step is hard but the next one is a little easier and the next one and the next one. Make the second half of 2015 the best half!

For those who have been sticking to their plan since January congratulations! You have the wellness bug and it feels good! Have you increased your activity? In our enthusiasm and feeling good energy we may have forgotten a few key points that need to be brought up:

Burnout: If we exercise too much with no breaks, you may experience burnout. This can be a negative to your goals. Burnout leads to loss of motivation and can lead to increase in injury. A sign of heading toward burnout is you begin to have a change in attitude toward working out, instead of enjoying it you start to dread it.

Injury risk: Overtaxing your body with too much exercise and insufficient rest can lead to injuries. During exercise your body naturally experiences stress, strain and micro-injuries. When you rest your body has the chance to heal these micro-injuries, which leads to improved strength and overall endurance. But if the micro-injuries don’t have a chance to heal you potentially are at a higher risk for injury. Moderation is the key and that involves rest and relaxation.

Decrease life performance: An overworked and overtaxed body and mind gets tired and productivity/life performance suffer. We do need to give our bodies and minds time off.

Take time to relax each day -- it is important. If you can take a vacation or time off from work to refresh you mind, body and spirit, do so it is important.

Making New Year’s resolutions is a yearly tradition for many people. Yet, some of us fall short of reaching our goals.

New routines don’t just become habit overnight. A 2009 study found that on average, it takes 66 days to form a new habit. Be patient with yourself. If you have minor setbacks or don’t hit your goal one week, pick it back up the next week. Just keep working at your goal and eventually it can become second nature.