We’re just a week or so into 2017, and our New Year’s resolutions are at the forefront of our minds. Making resolutions to achieve healthy goals is always such a fun part of the New Year, but the struggle comes weeks and months down the line… when you are willing yourself to loyally stick to them! Luckily, we enlisted our friend and nutritionist, Kelly LeVeque of Be Well By Kelly to give us some pointers, and we are feeling more empowered than ever to stick to those healthy New Year’s resolutions like glue. Keep scrolling to read her expert advice, and 5 tips to make those resolutions stick…
Hello everyone!
Kelly here, from Be Well By Kelly. As a nutritionist, I help my clients (including Gray!) make and keep goals on a daily basis, and although self-improvement is no small task, with a few tips it can be easier than you think. To start off, let’s talk about the kind of goals we are making. Too many times, we set vague or unattainable goals that end in failure and make us feel guilty. To make something a lifestyle, you need to develop the habit and reinforce it until it becomes part of who you are. The ability to follow through and attain your goals will create an empowerment catalyst for more self-improvement! Start by making your goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Then, follow these 5 tips to really make them stick:
1. Focus on the journey, not the destination.
It doesn’t matter if you are trying to lose 10 pounds or speak fluent Spanish; making your resolution the destination only reinforces the distance it will take to get there. Then, when it doesn’t happen overnight we quit. Instead commit to the journey: workout once a week, make a smoothie for breakfast during the week or set an alarm to jump into your language app. Once you start enjoying the journey to your destination not only will you hit those goals but you wont have to revisit that resolution in the future.
2. Small Steps = Less Anxiety.
So, you want to workout more? Break your New Years Resolution into small simple actionable steps like “sign up for 10 workouts on the first of every month.” Then break it down, set a calendar reminder on the first of each month to execute the task. When you schedule and pay for a workout ahead of time you are more likely to workout. The more you workout, the easier and less anxiety you have being physically active. What was once a simple task is now thefire starterfor your ultimate goal of losing weight, getting healthy and/or being fit. Not to mention, yourinitial resolutionwasn’t served up with a side of anxiety, self-deprecation or stress.
3. Pre–Commit for the WIN!
Sundays are a great day for planning and prepping. Pre-commit by scheduling all your workouts for the week online and blocking out the times in your calendar, or writing a shopping list for all the meals you’ll be cooking up that week. Pre-committing and paying in advance when you can increases your chances of working harder and not canceling.
4. Ditch the All-Or-Nothing Mentality.
For example, your diet isn’t an all or nothing resolution. If you commit to cooking three nights a week and find by February you still haven’t seen the inside of a grocery store, don’t quit; modify your action plan. Maybe try a delivery program instead. (Don’t forget to ask yourself the real question; “do you even like to cook or are you just trying to eat clean?” If eating clean is your goal, not cooking, reevaluate. Is there a more successful way for you to eat clean? Absolutely!)
5. Picture success.
Lastly, when we want to try something new our imagination can be our strongest asset. To get moving, visualize doing the task, imagine how it will feel when you complete it and how it will empower you as a person. Simply completing these visualization exercises will create enough positive emotions and momentum to overcome the fear and anxiety to start. 
Thanks to Kelly, we’re confident that 2017 is going to be our year of reaching our resolutions. Did any of these tips stick out to you? What ideas do you have to make your resolutions stick?
Xx
Team GM
Photos: @bewellbykelly on Instagram Save