Make your 2008 New Years Health & Fitness Resolutions Work

Christmas over, has the endless weeks of partying, eating and celebrating caught up with you, and more depressingly your waistline? It is now that endless promise-makers formulate various new lifestyle resolutions to aspects such as eating habits, exercise, coping with stress and smoking cessation. The long, dark winter nights and lack of light however can often leave people feeling depressed and lethargic; with resolutions often failing within the first week. While you can’t wave a magic wand and make your resolutions work, Manx Health & Fitness have provided 6 easy steps to help you fulfil your promise.

Set Goals: Set attainable goals - unreachable goals will just leave you stressed and disillusioned. Break goals down into smaller goals that can be achieved throughout the year to reach your ultimate goal.

Get Prepared: Make a plan and commit to it, ensuring to prepare for the downfalls in advance, but remain positive. During a lifestyle change, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail!

Be Positive & Determined: Your new years resolutions will only be achieved if you are determined, persistent and resolve not to give up. Use imagery to aid with this by visualising yourself already achieving your new lifestyle. Develop mental images and emotions linked to the goal achievement to make the process more real and intense. Do you know somebody who has achieved a similar goal who you can use as a role model?

Keep a diary: Write down all activities related to achieving your goal, e.g. details of training sessions or daily food records and reward yourself on each achievement. This will help show progression and help to motivate you.

Use Reminders: Ensure your new year’s resolution or goals are committed to paper and in a prominent place so that you see it every day, reminding yourself of your resolutions (e.g. on the refrigerator/ bathroom mirror). Publishing motivational phrases can also help keep goals on track.

Have a Support System: for when you experience times of weakness or doubt about your ability to succeed. Tell others about your goals and objectives, this will increase your accountability to the behaviour. This may be a personal trainer, close friend or family member who you can request help from in times of crisis. Sometimes you need the help of a trained professional. How important is your health to you? Why not substitute a night out on the beers for a trainer.

Manx Health & Fitness would like to wish you the very best in fulfilling your New Years Resolutions and a very healthy new year ahead!