That feeling of a fresh start with the turn of the New Year is exhilarating but the stench of defeat lingers around the corner when it comes to most peoples’ resolutions. If you want to avoid crushing your clean slate too early into the year, don’t commit to any of the following unrealistic resolutions! Cutting Out Everything If you try to cut every bad habit out of your life all at one time, you are bound to fail. You are changing your lifestyle and that takes time. You’re better off implementing incremental changes on a consistent basis. Start with simple changes like switching your butter to coconut oil and changing refined sugar to raw sugar. Although raw sugar isn’t ideal compared to natural sweeteners like Stevia, that doesn’t mean it can’t be a helpful step along the way. Running 15 Miles A Day Don’t try to commit yourself to a ridiculous workout routine that will set you up for failure. The less experienced you are, the easier you will need to start out. It’s more to get yourself in a rhythm that creates habits that allow you to increase your commitment as you get comfortable. Vague Commitments Speaking of commitments, one of the worst types of New Years Resolutions are the completely vague ones like, “I’m going to eat healthy”. You can’t achieve a goal if it isn’t properly defined so be sure to set goals with something you can quantify. Commit to things like running 15 minutes a day, having a healthy green smoothie every morning or cutting out carbs at nighttime. Create Realistic Expectations For Yourself The recurring theme of this article is definitely to create realistic expectations for yourself. Especially when it comes to health-related goals, if you place too much pressure on yourself you will wind up on the couch with a bucket of Ben & Jerry’s when the tension breaks. Go easy on yourself! You’ve got all year to make your resolution come true but make sure you hold yourself accountable with your goals. The only person you are letting down is you if you don’t achieve them.
