Forget About Yearly Resolutions, Make It a Monthly Habit!
Posted Dec 07 2011 11:03am
We may still have one month to New Year's Eve, but everyone around has already started thinking where the party is going to be! So resolutions are just around the corner! If you’re like most people, you don’t even think about making New Year’s resolutions anymore. I know it was exciting the first couple of times for me, but then it was just too depressing to feel like a failure when I couldn't stick to a diet, lose weight or exercise properly! Well, maybe it works out for the first month, but then it’s just too much of a commitment to handle every day, especially that we have dinners and parties everywhere in Lebanon! Well, here’s a way to have resolutions that stick. Pick the brain came up with an absolutely excellent idea last year to say goodbye to New Year’s resolutions and hello to monthly habits!!
Keeping a goal for a month is not nearly as overwhelming as keeping up with a goal for 365 days! However, Pick the brain 's smart idea is that if you can stick to a habit for 28 days, the habit becomes permanent. You no longer think of it as a difficult task for iIt just becomes part of you and your daily habits.
So, how do you come up with 12 habits rather than 1 unachievable big resolution? Well, how about breaking up that big resolution into 12 “mini-very-possible” habits? Let’s say your huge resolution – the one we tend not to keep – is to “lose weight.” So why not break this huge goal into the smaller steps that constitute it! Don't just say I want to lose weight because once khalto or teta invite us to that huge dinner and the food looks absolutely good, we'll overeat, feel guilty and then figure out that we have flunked which then forces us to stuff our faces with every fattening thing we lay our eyes on -and the vicious cycle continues >> Our resolution is over - Maybe next Jan. we’ll try again, probably not.Instead, this year, I am committing to easier, more achievable goals! All I am going to do is commit to one thing at a time, for 28 to 30 days. Here are the mini resolutions I am sticking to. You can find them helpful or you can make up your own!
January: Only have low-calorie snacks
February: Drink skim milk instead of whole milk
March: Exercise 30 minutes 4 times a weekApril: Bring my lunch to work instead of eating outMay: Have whole fruit for dessertJune: Perform 25 to 50 crunches before going to bed July: Have beans and legumes at least 3 times a weekAugust: Have a salad before every lunch and dinnerSeptember: Eat fish or veggie-burgers instead of red meatOctober: Skip the soda, alcohol or iced teaNovember: Switch my bread, pasta, kaak, toast and rice to whole grains (am7a kemle) instead of white and refined breadsDecember: Buy me some new holiday clothes to show off what I have achieved!! One key thing to consider is to keep thee new habits realistic. Don't go putting impossible goals and overwhelming yourself too soon! You'll end up stressed about too many mini goals. That's not the point! Now, if you wish, you can do more than the goal you have set for the month, but make sure not to over burden youself. Moreover, try to make these habits fun! Turn them into a challenge between you and your friends or siblings or even get a partner! I know my sis will be my partner and coach! When the next month comes, focus on your new goal. You don’t have to keep doing what you were doing the previous month, but you may find you want to, so be it!Try to stick with your monthly goal for at least 28 days and if you’ve skipped a day or two, don’t feel like you have to start all over from day 1. It's not the end of the world, enjoy it and be flexible, but try and do it for at least 28 days. After that, you may find that you’ve formed a lifetime habit.Long story short, small steps will help you reach your goals rather than large impossible ones! So Happy New Month!Photos:I can!
