If You Want To Keep Your New Year's Resolution, Stop Doing These 3 Things
(CBS4)- It's a new year and that usually means a time to set new goals. Many of us choose resolutions around better health. Certified Health Coach Erica Ballard said the New Year is a great time to begin.
"That marker of January 1 just triggers something in us just the way Monday does or the first day of the month," Ballard told CBSN Denver's Kelly Werthmann. "Setting that intention right when the new year starts, it triggers your brain to really commit to new these new things."
Losing weight is a common goal for a lot of people, but it can be hard to stick to that resolution through the year. Ballard said if you want to keep your resolution, stop doing these three things:
- Only set weight loss goal
- Set them and forget them
- Thinking health is a linear process
"I know [setting a weight loss goal] is what we tend to do, but the reason I say don't do this is because we typically use weight as a catch-all for all things health related," Ballard explained. "We expect weight loss to bring us better sleep, improve confidence, but, like I tell my clients, weight loss is not a catch all for those things. In fact, sustainable weight loss usually comes after improved health outcomes. So, if you want to get healthy, make sure you're not just cutting pounds. Put other goals in place that allow you to hit the things you expect weight loss to bring."
Ballard said it is common for people to set their goals in January, but before long they never look at them again. She advised it is important to not 'set and forget' your goals because science shows in order for goals to get engrained in your brain and for your brain to actively go after them, you've got to look at your goals regularly.
Also, when it comes to health and weight loss, A plus B does not equal C.
"So many people think… 'If I eat this way and do these workouts, I'm going to get these results,'" Ballard said. "While I'd love to tell you that's how it normally works, it doesn't because healing and health is not a linear process. You body usually has to do some internal work before you get those external health gains you're looking for. I say this really not to be discouraging, but actually to be empowering and to give people freedom. I want folks to know that it's going to take a little bit of time to figure out the right thing for you because the reality is when it comes to health, you're going to have to kiss a few frogs and try different things together to figure out your unique path to wellness."
