Whether you are one to make New Year’s Resolutions or not, the beginning of a new year is a great time to prioritize your health and your goals. One of the most impactful ways to put your health first in 2023 is by developing a healthy lifestyle! 30/10 Weight Loss for Life believes in behavioral and lifestyle change when it comes to not only achieving a healthy body composition, but also maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle, for life.
When it comes to making a lifestyle change, the first thing to consider is what your top priorities are. You could want to quit smoking or drinking, to cook more meals from home, to drink more water, to name a few examples. We recommend you pick your top 3-5 priorities and make those your goals for the new year. Having too many goals that you want to achieve can make it feel overwhelming and hard to stick to, but if you achieve your first three goals before the end of the year, you can always add more goals to accomplish! Read our blog about Goal Setting for tips on how to create realistic and attainable goals.
Once you have determined your top three goals, you will want to break them down into smaller goals and find a way to track your progress. For example, if your overall goal is to get into the habit of exercise, your smaller goals could be purchasing a gym membership, finding a personal trainer (if necessary), or buying exercise equipment for home and creating a workout schedule. By creating smaller goals and keeping track of what you have accomplished, you will be able to see if you are on track with your goals or if you need to adjust your course of action to increase your success.
Some ideas on how to track your progress include:
Journaling – As you make your way towards achieving your goal, for every milestone you reach, try journaling. Write about how you feel for having accomplished that milestone, what your next goal is, and if there were any obstacles along the way. Once you have achieved your overall goal, you can read your previous journal entries to see how far you have come!
- Daily Progress Tracker – This is a great method for those that want to keep track of daily progress. Some things you could track include daily water intake, minutes and type of exercise, amount of sleep, no smoking or drinking alcohol, and practiced portion control.
- Have an Accountability Partner – Having someone else, such as a family member, friend, or your 30/10 Coach, to track your progress can also help keep you accountable with staying on track! Stick to a weekly check-in with your accountability partner, as they are taking their time to show up for you, so you need to continue showing up for yourself
andas you progress on your goals.
Along with challenges, you should also consider rewarding yourself for accomplishing your goals. No matter how big or small your goal may seem, achieving one is something to celebrate! There are many ways to reward yourself outside of food or unhealthy habits, such as having a gathering with loved ones, booking a spa day, or planning a vacation.
Now that you have your goal and know what challenges you may face, as well as the rewards that will follow, it is time to think of what changes you need to make in order to achieve your goal. Are there things such as processed foods or sugary and alcoholic beverages that you need to avoid in order to reach your goal? Do you need to get a gym membership or create an exercise space at home? Should you research recipes that are easy for meal prepping? If your goal is to quit smoking or stop drinking, do you plan to quit cold turkey or have a step by step guide on how to do so? By considering what it is that you need to implement in order to make your lifestyle change, you are creating those smaller goals that we mentioned earlier and bringing yourself one step closer to success!
As you progress towards meeting your goals, it is important to take it one step at a time. By taking on too much change at one time, you are more likely to feel overwhelmed, too restricted, or burnt out early on before you make progress. It never hurts to start with what is easy, and taking things day by day is what will help you attain your goal.
The last thing to know when it comes to making lifestyle changes is that slip ups may happen and that is okay! A slip up can be having a goal that is too out of reach for the moment, making it hard to stay on track, but it is important to find a new way to continue. For example, if you have a really great routine that has you on track at first, but you went on vacation and are having a hard time with getting back on track, that could be an opportunity to create a new routine to continue with achieving your goals. You are not a failure if you change your course of action when it comes to success. Just remember that determination outlasts motivation!
We hope 2023 is your healthiest and best year yet! Make a lifestyle change this year by improving your health and transforming your life with 30/10 Weight Loss for Life. Get started by calling 855-YES-3010 or schedule your initial consultation at the top right corner today!
