Hacks To Making These Five New Year Resolutions Stick

Hacks To Making These Five New Year Resolutions Stick

Hello ladies, still one the new year gist…. How can we avoid making resolutions that would last for a week or two?

The humble New Year’s resolution, ah, so easy to make, so difficult to keep.

First a basic tip for making resolutions: You’re more likely to keep a commitment if it’s simple and actionable than vague and unrealistic.

Once you have your resolution set, put a plan in place for making it happen. Here are a few tricks for common resolutions and the best lifestyle hacks for making them a reality this year. Very little willpower required.

1. The resolution: Stop going back for seconds (or thirds) at dinner.

The hack: One of the easiest ways to reduce portion size is a simple swap that involves no willpower whatsoever. Simply switch your oversized dinner plates for smaller ones. People tend to serve themselves larger portions when provided with larger plates and bowls. It’s also worth adapting your plate selection based on the food you’re serving.

Have two sizes of plates. If you’re eating very healthy food opt for the bigger plate, if it’s a less healthy meal, use the smaller plate. And, of course, everything in moderation.

 2. The resolution: Exercise in the morning before work.  

The hack: Getting up early is hard, so set yourself up for success.

Step one: go to bed early! Set yourself a bedtime alarm if you have to.

Step two: remove excuses. Pack your bag the night before. Some early birds even swear by sleeping in their workout clothes, so they just can roll out of bed and go.

The benefits: You’re less likely to skip your workout when tempting plans pop up. Plus, you’re setting yourself up to be in a great mood for the rest of the day. Morning workouts result in better energy levels throughout the day and give you more mental alertness and sharpness.

Still, it’s important to keep things in perspective. The most important thing isn’t when you exercise — it’s that you’re exercising in the first place.

3. The resolution: Practice gratitude, every single day.

The hack: It’s all about accountability. Find yourself a gratitude buddy and make a pact to text each other three things you’re grateful for each day. Bonus points for this one, because you’ll strengthening your relationship with your gratitude buddy in the process.

The benefits: Gratitude has huge mental and physical perks, including improved well-being, reduced anxiety and depression and even better sleep. Grateful people engage in more exercise, have better dietary behaviors, are less likely to smoke and abuse alcohol, and have higher rates of medication adherence. Gratitude is good medicine.

4. The resolution: Stop texting during family dinners.

The hack: Instead of picking on one another for this nearly universal bad habit, we’re in favor of turning this family resolution into a game. Start by putting all of your phones in a basket for the duration of the meal. The first to reach for his or her phone does the dishes.

The benefits: When you put away your phone while interacting with another person, you’re sending them an important non-verbal message: my time with you is important to me.

5. The resolution: Pare down your closet to the essentials — and keep it that way.

The hack: Practice the “one-in-one-out” method. Every time you buy an item of clothing you have to donate or ditch something from your closet. While it might seem like a strict rule, it’s a good way to evaluate how much you value potential purchases and cut down on impulse buys.

The benefits: Too much clutter can be a direct pathway to stress and a distraction from productivity, but cleaning out an entire house or apartment is a daunting task. Instead, tackling one task at a time helps you see results. Even better, achieving small goals, such as organizing your closet, can prime you for bigger projects in the future.

We know from research that little acts of neatness cascade into larger acts of organization.

Are you going to practice any of these tips this new year? I sure have lots to pick up from the list. Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Source: HuffPost