Like clockwork, every year around this time there’s a lot to wrap up – holiday gifts, end of year vacations, or another popular one, New Year’s Resolutions. Thinking about setting your own New Year’s resolution?  Here are some tips to help you set and achieve yours!  What makes a goal more attainable is accountability and proper planning, and HealthAdvocate helps focus on the latter by sharing a few steps that make your health resolutions achievable.

• Choose something that interests you – Having a clear focus can help drive you towards reaching your goals
• Choose your resolution as a long-term goal – There’s no quick fix for a long-term plan. Time allows you to better manage your goals, which ultimately brings more success
• Think simple – Choose something that challenges you, but not taxing that it burdens you
• Compare your 2018 resolutions with previous years’ – Learn from your mistakes and what worked well to better position yourself moving forward
• Recognize it may take longer than a year – Some goals take longer to accomplish, but every step towards your resolution is one in the right direction

Breaking down your goals into small pieces can help make large goals more obtainable and more important in your daily life.  For example, if your goal is to lose 20lbs over the course of the year, that cheese steak seems less harmful, than if your goal is to lose 1 lb. that week.  You also get to celebrate more victories along the way!   The American Psychological Association shared these quick tips on how to persevere.

1. Start small – Whether it’s losing 2 pounds a month, or drinking an extra glass of water a day, starting small makes your resolutions easier to keep
2. Change one behavior at a time – Healthy behaviors take time to develop, don’t rush
3. Don’t beat yourself up – Everyday won’t be a win, but make sure to continue your pursuit even when you stumble
4. Ask for support – Share you experiences and find an outlet that helps support and push you to carry on

Attaining better health, is a common New Year resolution.  Maybe it’s through better food, exercise, improved sleep habits, stress management or a combination.  Maybe it’s finally getting a colonoscopy. Whatever it is, you can always reach out to your R-Health doctor and develop plan to make and meet your 2018 health goals. If you want, get a head start, fill out this worksheet to help you think about why the goal is important to you, what might be barriers and solutions to achieving your goal and bring it along.

Finally, don’t hesitate to share.  We can all learn from one another.  Visit our Facebook page and share your trials and successes during your journey.