Many
of us will make a healthy New Year's resolution – maybe to lose
weight, quit smoking or drink less – but what's the best way to
stick to it?
Psychologists have
found we're more likely to succeed if we break our resolution into smaller
goals that are specific, measurable and time-based.
Top
10 goal-setting tips:-
1. Make only one
resolution. Your chances of success are greater when you channel energy into
changing just one aspect of your behaviour.
2. Don't wait until
New Year's Eve to choose your resolution. Take some time out a few days before
and think about what you want to achieve.
3. Avoid previous
resolutions. Deciding to revisit a past resolution sets you up for frustrationand disappointment.
4. Don't run with
the crowd and go with the usual resolutions. Instead think about what you
really want out of life.
5. Break your goal
into a series of steps, focusing on creating sub-goals that are concrete,
measurable and time-based.
6. Tell your friends
and family about your goals. You're more likely to get support and want to
avoid failure.
7. To stay
motivated, make a checklist of how achieving your resolution will help you.
8. Give
yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub-goal, which will help to
motivate you and give you a sense of progress.
9. Make your plans
and progress concrete by keeping a handwritten journal, completing a computer
spreadsheet or covering a notice board with graphs or pictures.
10. Expect to revertto your old habits from time to time. Treat any failure as a temporary setback
rather than a reason to give up altogether.
Getting
started
Below are some of
the most common New Year health resolutions, with links to help you
get started and achieve your goal.
1:-Lose weight:-
Get practical tips
to lose excess weight, including getting started, healthy food swaps, and our 12-week
weight loss plan.
2:-Quit smoking:-
We've got all you
need to help you achieve your goal to stop smoking,
including the free NHS Smokefree
app.
3:-Get active:-
Boost your fitness
with fun and practical ideas to help you get into shape, including Couch to 5K, Strength
and Flex and the NHS
Fitness Studio.
4:-Drink less alcohol:-
Calculate your
units, get tips on cutting down, track
your drinking and find out where to get help and support.
5:-Eat more fruit and veg:-
Whether you're
cooking for a family or eating on the go, our tips and recipes can help you
get your 5 A DAY.
