With December well underway, many of us are looking forward to January with a ‘new year, new me’ mindset. While this can be criticised, there’s really nothing wrong with using a new year as motivation. Of course you can make changes to your life whenever you like- but let’s face it, this is the real world. We’re busy, we’re tired and sometimes we need an extra boost to get these things started. If you really want to succeed in 2019, here are three ways you can boost your chances.
Set realistic goals
One of the main reasons that people fail when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle is they set unachievable goals. When you’re highly motivated in the beginning, working out five times a week and cutting out all junk food might be doable. But over time, it becomes so difficult that we give up completely- reverting to old and unhealthy habits. It’s good to have goals, but set things that you know you can stick to. Think about the rest of your schedule, and create goals that you can achieve and then move forward from there. You won’t see massive changes in days or even weeks, but stick with it. Eat well and stay active and in a few months you’ll realise that you feel better than you ever have.
Get the family involved
A healthy lifestyle isn’t a diet and a strict exercise plan. It’s an entire lifestyle change, you need to re-evaluate your relationship with food and physical activity and make changes that will stand the test of time. Get the whole family involved- cook healthy meals that you all enjoy and get out more. Go on long walks with your dog, get your bikes out of the shed or take part in an activity like a sport, a class or swimming as part of family time. It shouldn’t be about what any of you have to lose- you don’t want to feel restricted. It’s all about what you have to gain- delicious healthy meals, fun activities and more time spent together.
Work it into your budget
Being fit and healthy doesn’t need to be expensive. In fact, living a healthy life can actually save you money. Eating out less and cooking more from scratch will save you tons of money, you could even save cash on fuel by walking more instead of jumping in the car for every short journey. However, if you want to do things properly and ensure you can continue with them, it’s worth working your new lifestyle into your budget. Even if you’re planning on doing lots of free activities instead of joining the gym for example, you’ll still need good footwear or you risk injuries like plantar fasciitis. Write out your healthy meal plan each week and then create a shopping list based on this so you can see how much it’s going to cost. There are lots of reasons people’s healthy plans fall by the wayside, money is just one of them. Being prepared can prevent you from making this mistake yourself.
Disclosure- this is a collaborative post.
