Do You Need a Resolution-Reboot?

Okay cowboy, how are those 2016 resolutions going?

Have you lost any weight (and kept it off)?

Have you successfully quit smoking?

Have there been any holes punched in that yoga class card you bought?

Or are you currently reading this article in front of the TV while a pan of peanut butter brownies with chocolate chips are baking in the oven?

I know, it’s hard. But you can make changes, even if they’re a little different than what you were envisioning in the closing hours of 2015. Here are some ideas to help you move forward.

1. Redefine what success really is. If you’re setting just one big goal, and have fallen short of it so far, you may think you’re not succeeding. When you think you’re failing, it can take the wind out of your sails, which could cause you give up completely. Instead, come up with a new way to define success, and build in small wins along the way to keep you going. If your goal was to lose 50 pounds, make losing five pounds your first goal, and give yourself credit when you reach it.
2. Let go of perfectionism. This is going to suck the life out of you, ya know? Humans aren’t perfect, even the ones who look perfect on TV. Your diet, your life, your health, your body, none of it will ever be perfect. Strive for taking the best care of yourself you can on any given day, and don’t let the lack of being perfect make you feel worthless.
3. Make sure you’re always learning from your mistakes. Okay, so you weren’t able to make it the gym as many times as you wanted to last week. Why? What was behind it? What can you do differently next week? You’re your own little lab rat, so make sure you study what’s going on and learn from your mistakes.
4. Buddy up. If you’d partnered up with someone who decided to make a similar lifestyle change, you’d probably be doing better than you are right now. It’s not too late, though, and you can still find an accountability partner to keep you on track. Find someone who will go to exercise class with you after work, or find someone who wants to experiment with healthy recipes on the weekends.
5. Try an app. There are many, many apps out there designed to help you achieve your health goals. Try MyFitnessPal to help you count calories; it also syncs up with a number of fitness trackers (like FitBit), so it knows how much movement and exercise you’re getting over the course of the day and can adjust your caloric needs accordingly.
6. Never give up. The only way to absolutely guarantee you won’t achieve your goal is to give up. It’s so temping to throw in the towel and stop trying to make a change to your lifestyle or health. Don’t wait until next January 1^st to try again; try again now. Write down not only what you want to achieve, but how you want to feel (energetic, excited to join get up in the morning, less achey in the morning). Write down some ideas for how to start getting that ASAP, like, tomorrow. Try it for one day. Repeat.