WASHINGTON — The New Year is a little more than two weeks old, if you feel as if you’re about to give up on your New Year’s resolution, you’re not alone.
“Research suggests that about 75 percent of people who made a New Year’s resolution flip within the first two weeks,” said Sally Squires, who writes the Lean Plate Club™ blog. “By Feb. 1, about half have given up on their goals.”
But that’s not to say that all is lost if you’ve struggled in meeting your goals for the New Year.
“It’s important to just look at what did you actually say that you would try and achieve,” Squires said.
“Maybe you overreached. Many of us do that, so you want to kind of reassess your goals and then set up some more realistic ones.”
Maybe working out every single day simply isn’t realistic and Squires said that’s OK.
“We do know that small steps really do add up to big rewards,” she said. “So whatever you’re trying to do, if you’re trying to lose weight, maybe you just start and make sure that you eat a healthy breakfast every day.”
Small things like trying to walk 10 minutes every day instead of going to the gym every day can also help. Ten minutes can quickly become 15 minutes and Squires said before you know it, you’ve developed a new healthy habit.
Squires also suggested a new trend called “nudges,” that can help everyone who is trying to eat healthy. A “nudge” works by making the healthier option the default option. So instead of having a sandwich on white bread, offer it with whole wheat. Instead of offering fruit or chips, only offer fruit.
“It really looks like it works really well,” Squires said. “In other words, you’re only giving healthy choices and these little nudges can prove to be extremely effective in changing habits.”
