Every year, by the time late December rolls around, hundreds and hundreds of men and women vow to lose weight -- or at least get healthier. You are, more than likely, one of these people. Yet, two weeks into January, your motivation plummets, and by February, you've forgotten all about your New Year's resolution.
In a Her Campus article, Hannah Orenstein explores a few ways that you can keep your health resolutions all year long.
We're all too familiar with the common New Year's phenomenon: As you watch the ball drop, you vow to maintain a 20 foot distance from all carbs and dedicate the rest of your life to the treadmill. But by the first week of January, your pasta cravings are becoming hard to ignore and you skip more than a few days at the gym. By the middle of the month, you indulge in bagels on a daily basis and your sneakers have collected dust. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? According to Psychology Today, the top two most common New Year's resolutions are to lose weight and exercise more often. It's no surprise that these lofty, vague goals are often not fulfilled by the end of the year, which can easily make you feel like a failure. Rather than setting yourself up for potential disappointment, start 2011 off on the right foot by making a healthy New Year's resolution that you can actually keep.
Here are seven suggestions for realistic, attainable resolutions that you might actually enjoy keeping:
7 Healthy Changes You Can Actually Make In 2011
Are you inspired to make a healthy resolution this year? The "me movement" is a pledge to enjoy the holiday season while staying healthy. Founder Rebecca Scritchfield explains, "The me movement is all about good self care and meeting our own health and wellness needs. It's a reminder that when we put our needs first, we can better care for others and we can perform our own day to day tasks with more energy and positivity." The movement focuses on making healthy New Year's resolutions, whether they're one of the resolutions we've featured here or one of your own choosing. Scritchfield recommends that your resolutions should "look more like goals, be specific, measurable and have a plan; be realistic and attainable; be positive and caring toward yourself."
Instead of making the same old "lose five pounds" resolution year after year, make 2011 the year you take charge and form a healthy resolution. Which of these seven are you most excited to try? Leave a comment below and let us know!