New Year’s resolutions, who doesn’t have them? Some of us make them as long as our holiday shopping list.
Quit eating junk food, smoking, staying up late. Get more workouts in, spend quality time with family… These sound familiar, don’t they?
Most of us have things we know we absolutely have to either stop or start doing, and the beginning of a new year feels like the perfect time to make a change. We sign up for classes, buy new motivational workout shirts, and bounce around the room overflowing with optimism. Until the new year begins, that is, and most of us realize that nothing drastic has happened, and we are still as busy and tired as we were last year.
Don’t get us wrong, we are all up for “New Year, new beginnings,” and no matter how old we get, we still get excited to plan all the awesome things we want to achieve in the next 365 days. To get the most out of it, however, we need to make sure we stick with our resolutions, and that’s the hardest part.
Tell us if this sounds familiar: You get your gym membership on January 1st, go buy a pair of new Nikes (and some fresh motivational workout shirts from Dissident Gym Wear!) and you are ready to embrace your new, healthy lifestyle. Then life happens. Your kid gets sick, your boss assigns a challenging project, and on top of everything people keep bringing cookies to the office (they're obviously trying to sabotage your new diet). A few days, weeks, or maybe months later you drop out of this new lifestyle and settle back in your comfortable and not-so-healthy daily life. If this has ever happened to you, whether you tried to improve your health, relationships or career, check out these steps you can take to make sure that 2017 is THE YEAR you make your dreams come true.
Start Small
When caught up in the moment, feeling inspired and buying new motivational workout shirts, we tend to over-promise to ourselves and others. It may be tempting to change a lot of things at once, but you have to realize that we are all creatures of habit. Trying to change everything in the first few months will drain and demotivate you. Instead, if you are trying to get more exercise in, schedule two to three sessions per week, instead of seven. Trying to hit the gym everyday if you’ve barely made it out there once a month is simply not sustainable in the long run.
Make One Behavior Change At A Time
Identifying the priority level for all your resolutions is crucial. Don’t rush into 2017 trying to improve upon all the things you think need improving. Identify your number one, and stick with it until you make it a habit. Then, go ahead and look at your other to-dos, and pick the next most important one to check off the list.
Seek Help
Whether you are trying to lose weight or quit smoking, being able to share your struggles with those who understand is very important. Share with your family, your team, or seek help from professionals and support groups. Whatever works for you! Being able to voice your dreams and what you are going through will make the journey feel a little less intimidating. Ask for support and be sure you are fully accepting of it. Remember, Dissident has a fabulous and supportivecommunity on Instagram if you’re looking for digital motivation as well!
Give Yourself A Break
Perfection simply does not exist. Just accept that as fact. Beating yourself up about the donut you you ate or workout you missed does not build motivation to continue working on your goals. Step back so you can see the bigger picture! One bad choice in a pool of good ones is not the end of the world. Pick yourself up, recognize that you made a mistake, and then continue where you left. We promise, small progress is still progress!
What are your your New Year´s resolutions? How are you planning on making them a reality?
Bring it on 2017!
Be Dissident. Be You!
Dissident is a leader in fitness apparel, established to empower, motivate and promote confidence.
