February: A Cold Reality

It’s February and the honeymoon is over. Those of you who set weight loss and/or fitness goals for the New Year are assuredly now realizing it might be more difficult and time consuming than you initially anticipated. Plain and simple: don’t give up.

First and foremost, ditch the notion of the “New Year Resolution.” Who can really keep up with those things, anyway? However, New Years’ Resolutions are a valuable introspection tool, showing us what goals we want to accomplish or ways we want to improve. Unfortunately, the ephemeral connotations of the “New Years’ Resolution” make them limited and generally pretty lame. So, forget it. Instead adjust your New Years’ Resolution into smaller, more digestible goals. Want to lose 60 pounds? Try losing five pounds in a month first. And then lose another five… and another… and another. Make your goals realistic and attainable, and you will avoid frustration.

Secondly, keep a level-headed perspective; just repeat this mantra, “it’s not that bad.” Exercise only requires 4-5 hours per week to be effective. For the record, that’s only 2.6% of your time. While we’re on percentages, also keep in mind that you do not need to eat squeaky-clean-healthy 100% of the time. Treat yourself once a week. Use your weekly treat to reward yourself for your hard work. These weekly treats will keep you sane and help you adhere to your program. You might have to cut back on a few cheeseburgers and blended coffee drinks, but you know what: it’s really not that bad.

Go forth and achieve your goals with good ol’ fashioned stick-to-it-ness. Just remember to set achievable goals (and then achieve them), it’s not that bad, and (one more) it’s good for you.