If you're someone like me who exercises, you probably become annoyed during the month of January as the gym fills up with the multitudes of people who have made a resolution to lose weight and/or get fit in the new year. My annoyance is always short lived as the numbers of new faces dwindle over the next several weeks.
Several years ago I made the resolution NOT to become annoyed, and instead find the humor in the whole situation. I joked with other members in year round attendance. We would make bets on who would last past the month of January. Some of the bets were easy as I had seen these faces in the prior January or I observed a lack of energy behind their workout efforts. Then on occasion there was someone who was able to create a habit of coming in and exercising.
What was it that made these people different? I believe that there were several things
First, the clearly identified all the benefits of reaching their goal and they developed a reward system to celebrate the small successes as well as the large ones.
They set a specific goal that could be measured with a deadline, such as weigh 150 lbs by May 30th and then created incremental goals to keep them on track. I will lose 1 lb each week.
They found someone who they respected and counted on to report back their progress to on a weekly basis. This person was someone who could support them in their long term goal. They weren't alone.
They didn't keep their goal a secret and announced it to many of their friends. Peer pressure can be a huge motivator!
So if you have a New Year's resolution for 2010, use these simple steps to increase your effectiveness in keeping your resolution!
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