It’s New Year’s resolution time, and your list resembles last year’s all too well. What happened to the time? The years keep coming, and there’s no time like the present to tackle your health and wellness goals head-on.
However, it can be hard to stay focused on your goals when the excitement of the New Year wears off. Here are some ways to help you stay motivated and set yourself up for success.
MOTIVATIONAL TIP #1
Write Down Your New Year’s Resolutions
The first thing needed for healthy change is a clear set of intentions. Having the goal of “getting healthy” isn’t enough. Start with a list of reasons you’d like to enhance your health and well-being. This will be your go-to list when things get tough and the excuses creep in.
Then, write down your goals in a notebook where you can keep track of your progress. It’s a good idea to handwrite them instead of typing them because this reinforces the importance and drive to achieve them. This inherent concept has been used for many years and is now backed by science. A recent study showed that those who wrote down their goals regularly had a 42% increase in success rate. Furthermore, those who shared their goal list with at least one other person for accountability had a 70% success rate for achievement, which leads us to our next motivational tip.
MOTIVATIONAL TIP #2
Have Accountability for Your New Year’s Goals
It can be hard to adopt new lifestyle choices without the support of those around you, so don’t keep your health goals to yourself. Tell people about them and find like-minded individuals that share your desire for that particular aspiration.
You’re very lucky if you have the proactive support of your spouse or partner. In fact, a recent psychology study showed that you’re ten times more likely to achieve and maintain health goals having your partner in on it with you. If you don’t have the support of a partner, you can seek it externally.
Let’s say you want to try a diet this year like Keto, Paleo, Whole 30, or complete a detox cleanse. This lifestyle change can be a big commitment and hard to follow. You’ll need the proper guidance and a positive attitude to get you through it. You can find and connect with others in the same boat through social media searches or local meet-up groups. Sharing tips and struggles will help keep you accountable and on track with your goals. The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) found that just sharing your goals publicly increased success by 65% and that having a specific accountability partner increased success by 95%.
MOTIVATIONAL TIP #3
Have Your Health Tools Handy by Planning Ahead
Prioritizing your well-being shouldn’t be a chore on your to-do list. Make it as easy as possible by planning and automatically delivering your health tools.
Technology has made it easy to stay on track with automatic bill payments, email reminders, and schedule syncing. Make it work for your health by setting up your monthly subscriptions with your favorite wellness products. These can include vitamins and minerals, drinks, pantry items, hygiene products, or meal services. An automatic monthly delivery decreases the buildup of unused products by helping you remember to take your supplements and superfoods.
One way to do this is a customized Moringa Vinga subscription. With the seemingly endless health benefits of Moringa Vinga infused beverages, incorporating them regularly is a no-brainer. Easily subscribing to monthly shipments ensures you’ll never miss your daily dose of functional superfoods. You can personalize your case according to health benefits, superfoods, and flavors for the whole family. With a 15% off discount and free deliveries, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. There’s no minimum commitment, and you can cancel anytime you wish.
MOTIVATIONAL TIP #4
Put Your Goals on the Calendar
Schedule goal activities the same way you would a doctor’s appointment. They go on your calendar right along with work engagements and your kid’s birthday party. Things that are scheduled have a much higher chance of happening than things that are not. Even if you don’t get to it, you’re more likely to reschedule it to a better time.
For example, if your goal is to work out for 45 minutes 4 times per week, set aside that time on your daily calendar. This way, you won’t have the age-old excuse of not having the time. There’s nothing more important than your health and longevity, so make yourself a priority and put it on the books. You deserve it!
MOTIVATIONAL TIP #5
Invest in Your Health
You work hard for your money and don’t want to waste it. Allocating funds to improve your health will increase your motivation to follow through.
MOTIVATIONAL TIP #6
Have Fun with Your Goals
You set these goals for a reason. They’re going to make your life better! They shouldn’t feel like they are obligations. If you don’t enjoy doing them, they will probably fall by the wayside.
For instance, you may want to exercise more but don’t enjoy the typical gym workout. You can experiment with fun classes like:
- Aerial or Goat Yoga
- Classical or Reformer Pilates
- Pure Barre or Barre3
- Water Aerobics
- Martial Arts
- Kick-boxing
- Self-Defense
- HIIT (High Intense Interval training)
- Spin or Beat-based Cycling
If you’re looking to make new friends or be more social, you could join a local team sport or group activity such as:
- Tennis
- Pickleball
- Volleyball
- Group Hiking
- Group Dog Walking or Training
- Local Trivia or Game Night
- Cooking Class
- Improv Class
- Book Club
Make it even more fun by bringing along a friend!
MOTIVATIONAL TIP #7
Celebrate Your Wins
Reward yourself for a job well done. This reinforces the behavior and can turn a health goal into a habit.
One way you can reward yourself is with money! Transfer $5 into a savings account after every workout or health goal activity. Seeing this accrue at the end of the month will be very motivating.
You can also list rewards you would like to redeem and keep them on your bathroom mirror or nightstand for morning motivation. Some examples include binge-watching a good show, indulging in a decadent dessert, a night out with a friend, relaxing in a bubble bath, listening to your favorite album, or an hour of me-time. A recent study showed that frequent, small rewards increase motivation and enjoyment of activity much more than more significant, long-term rewards.
MOTIVATIONAL TIP #8
Avoid Known Triggers
Common New Year’s resolutions often include habits you want to stop and those you want to start doing.
These can include:
- Drinking alcohol
- Smoking or vaping
- Unhealthy snacking or binge eating
- Screen time
- Spending habits
- Staying up too late
- Procrastinating
Triggers are potent for eliciting bad habits. We can usually pinpoint our triggers for these types of unwanted behaviors. Write a list of your known triggers and pair them with alternate activities. When you’re trying to stop a behavior, it’s much easier when you have something to replace it with rather than just hoping for willpower to prevail.
For instance, if you know you can’t go to a sports bar to watch the game without having a drink, stay home to watch it. Pick a healthy alternative drink like Moringa Vinga, kombucha, or a mocktail. You can browse our delicious Moringa mocktail recipes here. The Dancing Mule is sure to satisfy the craving without any guilt. Keep the incentive to drink even lower by not keeping any alcohol in the house. This has the added benefit of saving money which creates even more motivation!
Remove a tempting app from your phone if you’re trying to avoid impulse spending. Not having it readily available creates a barrier to taking action. This is also a little reminder of your goal when you habitually try to access it. As discussed above, you can replace it with a little reward for the positive behavior of not spending money needlessly.
MOTIVATIONAL TIP #9
Drink Moringa!
Yes, Moringa can help you stay motivated by providing balanced energy, a better mood, enhanced sleep quality, and supporting cognitive function. Read more about how Moringa can improve mood and brain function here.
Final Thoughts
You are the main factor for the outcome of your overall health and well-being. It can be a big responsibility, but we want to remain kind to ourselves and make space for imperfection. We’re only human, and hiccups can happen on the road to change. When they do, shake them off and get back on the horse.
Gradual changes are what lead to huge impacts over time. Start with small, approachable goals aimed in the right direction, and you’ll reach your target eventually. It’s not a race, so use each day as an opportunity to start fresh and take a few more steps.