Week 8: Reset for the New Year

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We hope you got through this holiday season with more ease thanks to the Stress Less Holiday challenge. Now it’s time to reset for the New Year.

Nearly half of the American population sets a New Year’s resolution. Mine are always about eating more quality food, spending more time with my family, stop sweating the small stuff, and marathon training. I usually spend the last week of the year (maybe because it is my birthday) thinking about all of the things I accomplished and what I am most proud of. Then I evaluate the goals I did not achieve. Usually it is because those goals were too unrealistic or a setback occurred.

To help you achieve your 2015 goals, The Whole U designed a New Year’s challenge called Dare to Do that launches January 12. If you are ready to lose weight, exercise more, or take more steps throughout your day, join the challenge and register now.

Dare to Do is based on the fact that New Year’s resolutions that are specific and reasonable will have a better chance of being successful. You can apply these principles to all your 2015 goals.

The first step is to set a SMART goal.

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Action-oriented
R – Realistic
T – Timed

The second step is to create a plan.

Your plan is the strategy on how you plan on achieving this goal. For example, if one of your goals is to race a marathon in six months you would need to find a training plan to help you achieve this goal. You also would need to work with your schedule and identify when you can fit in your runs or walks.

The third step is to identify short-term goals.

Short-term goals will help you stay motivated towards the end goal. For example, if one of your goals is to lose 20 pounds in six months, there should be small victories along the way. Each month set a goal to lose 3-4 pounds. When this is achieved, celebrate. If it is not achieved, reevaluate and set a new monthly goal.

The last step is to write down your WHY.

Why are you striving for this goal? Maybe it is because you want to feel better, have more confidence, want to achieve something big because you are turning 50, you want to keep up with your kids or grandkids, or want to be healthier. Your WHY will keep you motivated when it’s hard or when you experience a setback.

What are your goals for 2015?