Creative Commons image by Michell Zappa
With just a couple of weeks until the end of 2016, you might be thinking ahead to your new year’s resolutions. If you’re curious about how many people make such resolutions, you can check out Statistic Brain. Most telling, however, is that only 8 percent of people keep their first-of-the-year promises to themselves! Since a huge percentage of resolutions have to do with health and wellness, it’s in your best interest to keep yours up as long as you can. Here are some tips and tricks for not only making achievable resolutions, but also for keeping them.
Be Reasonable
Are you thinking about losing 30 lbs, going to the gym for an hour each day, giving up sugar, and walking a mile every morning before work? While all of these could probably improve your health, taking on a handful of large resolutions is unreasonable and will make you more likely to drop them before we say goodbye to January. Instead, pick something small and doable. Remember, you can always add healthy habits later on; the point of a resolution is to get you into the habit of making healthy choices.
Consider something like switching out soft drinks for water at meals or adding 1,000 steps to what you currently take each day. It would be remiss not to suggest picking up a habit like flossing before bed each night as a healthy, reasonable resolution! Try to choose just one new habit to take on in January. If you are successful, you could try adding another in February!
Tell People or Write It Down
One way to hold yourself accountable is to tell others about your resolution. This works, because if friends or family members ask you how it’s going, you’ll want to give them a good report. So in the days leading up to the new year, go ahead and let your circle of friends know what you’re hoping to achieve.
Another way to boost your odds of sticking to your resolution is to write it down. Writing it can make it seem more real and more serious. Put it in your journal or write it down on a piece of paper and stick it to your refrigerator or bathroom mirror.
You could accomplish both of these by posting your resolution on social media, if you’re not shy about it!
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Are you trying to give up smoking, improve your eating habits, or exercise more? There might come a day when you slip up. And that’s okay! Rather than write off your resolution as a failure, just get back on the wagon and start again. If you tend to have all-or-nothing thinking, you could try starting each day with a new resolution to stick to your chosen healthy habit.
If you’re trying to think of a health-related new year’s resolution, an excellent one that you only have to think of twice per year is to commit to seeing your dentist for biannual cleanings. This is something that will improve your smile, your gum health, and maybe even the lifespan of your teeth. If you’re due for a cleaning, please call today to make an appointment.
