![]() ![]() As Rivera notes, healthy weight loss is only between one and two pounds per week, so give yourself reasonable time to make progress instead of giving up. Fixate on how you feel and how you perform before you freak out about your weight and waistline," says Andrew Wolf, exercise physiologist at Miraval. "When you’re integrating a new exercise routine, your fitness levels will always change more quickly than your body composition. Or if you're trying to drink more water, invest in a reusable bottle so that you always have it on hand. "Resolutions are really about finding out how you're going to integrate new behaviors into your life." So don't join a gym that you have to drive out of your way to get to-choose one that's on your route to and from the office. "If you're going to have oatmeal for breakfast instead of your usual doughnut, you have to give yourself five extra minutes to boil those oats on the stovetop each morning, plus more time to eat at home since it's not a portable food," says Cherylanne Skolnicki, wellness coach and owner of Nourish wellness consultants. Sure, it's easy enough to resolve to eat more healthfully, but if you don't implement the necessary lifestyle changes you won't be able to succeed. So, even if you consume enough calories, when you haven't gotten enough zzz's, your body will still send signals that it's hungry, which will likely lead you to overeat. As Bils explains, without enough sleep, ghrelin (the hormone responsible for regulating appetite) is elevated, while leptin (the hormone connected with satiety) is diminished. But it's not just about willpower the amount of sleep you get affects bodily functions, too. You could call a sleepy brain a lazy brain-the human ability of resolve or willpower has been proven to be diminished without adequate sleep," he says. "Losing weight, exercising or learning a new skill are not human instincts we have to work at them. Why? Because a good night's sleep can help you achieve virtually any goal on your New Year's resolution list, says Pete Bils, vice president of Sleep Innovation and Clinical Research for Select Comfort. That's right-the experts actually recommend hitting the hay in order to accomplish your goals. Chances are, once you get moving on the treadmill, your motivation will have kicked in and you won't want to stop. ![]() Rego recommends giving yourself permission to leave the gym after five minutes if you want. Most people can attest to feeling extremely motivated after a sweaty workout, instead of before. ![]() ![]() "We have the belief that motivation has to come before action-'I felt motivated so I went,'" says Simon Rego, PsyD, director of Psychology Training at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, "when in fact motivation often follows action." Take the gym, for example. So they wait and wait for that push to get them to the gym, but it never comes. Many people assume they can't tackle their goals without motivation. "Instead, say something like, 'I will replace my afternoon coffee and cookie snack with a piece of fruit, some nuts and green tea.' Being sure that your resolutions are measurable can help you assess on a daily basis if you're on track or not." Other specific-and doable––health promises that Lupiani recommends are vowing to eat a large salad every day or committing to starting each day with a whole grain and some fresh fruit. "Saying 'I will eat more healthfully' isn't a concrete goal," says Junelle Lupiani, RD, nutritionist at Miraval, a wellness spa outside Tucson, Arizona. Not only will setting a goal that's too big derail you, so will making a resolution that's too vague. Rivera coached her to minimize her portions-a mini-can of Coke or a no-calorie Diet Coke––instead of cutting out the drink entirely. She went cold turkey and lasted about two weeks, then caved when the cravings hit. "They're great for about a week, but people can't keep them up forever." For example, one of her clients made a goal to give up soda, her favorite beverage. "I find that my clients make New Year's resolutions that aren't really realistic," says Cristina Rivera, RD, president of Nutrition in Motion, PC. One of the most common reasons people fail at keeping their resolutions is because they bite off more than they can chew. Read on to learn eight ways to revisit your wellness resolutions––and make them stick this time around. So we spoke to the experts to find out about common goal-setting mistakes and how to recommit to more obtainable aims. There's a reason it's such a common phenomenon: Sticking to health resolutions is difficult, especially when your ambitions are too high or not measurable. You've probably heard of "January joiners"-those eager gym-goers who sign up to get in shape at the beginning of the year, only to fall off the wagon by February. ![]()
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