Rosalee Brown
IT IS the beginning of a new year and many persons are kicking themselves for not achieving the goals they set at the beginning of last year. Many new year resolutions were made in 2005 and more will be made at the beginning of 2006, often the same resolutions, including leading a healthier life, losing weight, eating healthier foods, exercising more and we could go on and on.
Why did we fall so short of the mark last year and the other years, gaining weight instead of losing, exercising less instead of more etcetera? Consider the following:
Was your goal specific or it was vague? Remember, it is difficult to do everything all at once, as they become overwhelming and unattainable and therefore, there is the tendency to give up, not because you are hopeless, but because your plans were faulty. Therefore, this time around be specific.
Was your goal measurable? How many pounds did you plan to lose, how many more servings of fruits and vegetables did you plan to consume each day, how much more time each day or week was to be spent exercising?
Was your goal achievable, that is, was the number of pounds you planned to lose weekly or the increased frequency or amount of vegetable intake possibly based on your present consumption?
Was your goal realistic, that is, could you have done all the things planned considering the realities of your life, age, health and schedule?
Was your goal time bound, that is, did you set a specific time frame for achieving your goals?
HOW TO LEARN FROM YOUR SHORTCOMINGS
Examine the goals you had and why you didn't accomplish them. Look at them one by one. So you started out very well but how soon thereafter did you start to falter and why? What was the trigger?
Use the S.M.A.R.T. rule and make more manageable goals this year, don't give up, you can be healthy, but it must be a way of life and therefore, you have to be able to live it.
Do not to be obsessed with your goals, that is, make them S.M.A.R.T. and enjoy them. If there is no fun, sense of achievement, accomplishment or self actualisation, they will be short-lived.
Add learning something new to the mix, which can help you in achieving your goal. Train for a 5 or 10 k race for example, learn to ride a bicycle, learn to swim or learn any other sport, you will gain so much. You can do a cooking class and learn to stir-fry vegetables, make great salads, set a table, all these can enrich the experience and make the goal attainable.
So go ahead and make your New Year's resolutions, but don't make the same errors you made last time.
Rosalee Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
