Whether you want to stop smoking, be more flexible, or reduce your stress, here’s how you can achieve your health goals. Why wait until January to set yourself some health goals? Get a head start now with these tips.
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A lot us know understand how disappointing it is to set a goal, not see much improvement, and then give up. Try these tips to set the right goal and stick to it.
Be Realistic
The best intentions often fail when people try to make an unrealistic life change. These are wishes, rather than goals. Try to separate your fantasies from reality. If you’ve never run before, for example, don’t aim to run a marathon immediately. Start with trying to get into a regular running routine. Take a realistic look at your resolutions and make sure you can achieve them. A goal you can’t achieve will leave you feeling disheartened. A health journal might help you work out what your goals should be.
Get Support
Find other people who have similar goals, and go for them together. You should be able to find like-minded people quite easily in the new year, as lots of people take up exercise classes, or start going to support groups or programs to quit smoking or drinking, like https://www.sunshinebehavioralhealth.com/texas/round-rock/.
Establish Step-Wise Objectives
Go after your larger goal in smaller steps. If you want to lose weight this year, start out small. Rather than going on a crash diet, start by swapping out a guilty pleasure for a healthier alternative, such as swapping your afternoon cookie with a piece of fruit. Exercise is good for mental health, but it’s never a good idea to throw yourself into an intense routine straight away. Start by doing something small three days a week, even if it’s only walking the dog around the local park. Do what you can, and build up to doing more as you make progress towards your overall goal.
Be Persistent
Go easy on yourself and try to be forgiving of any slips you might make. If you stray away from your goal, you don’t have to throw away all the effort you’ve made so far and throw in the towel. Just because you skipped your run for a few days, over-indulged on sugary treats at a party, or had a cigarette, it doesn’t mean you have to go back to your old habits. Instead, understand that setbacks are part of the journey, and try to see your slip-up as a learning experience. Try to work out what happened to make you fall back on a bad habit, and what you can do to prevent it from happening again. Nobody is perfect, so move on, and carry on with your goal.
Reward Success
When you reach a goal, give yourself a reward, like buying a new outfit or going to see a movie. Just make sure you don’t reward your achievement with the unhealthy habit you’re trying to kick!
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