Tackling the 5 Most Common New Year’s Resolutions: Part II

New Year’s is a time of renewal and rebirth, when you see packed gyms and picked-over vegetable aisles more than other times of the year. In our last post, we talked about the common goals of exercise, dieting, and an improved appearance along with tips for reaching these goals, such as introducing healthy habits gradually and user friendly products like NeriumAD. Keep reading for the last two common resolutions and tips for keeping up with your goals this year. 

4.            Quitting smoking

As a common bad habit, I often have clients telling me they want to finally quit smoking this year. There’s no one best way to quit smoking, so perhaps after trying a method without success, such as patches, going cold-turkey, cutting down gradually, or  medication, look into something different. Quitting smoking is a great goal, so keep at it! 

5.            More time with loved ones

Whether it’s your significant other, family, or friends, many want to spend more time with loved ones for their resolution. Try planning regular time together, such as weekly date nights and family nights, monthly dinners, or whatever works for your relationship.

No matter what your New Year’s goal is this time, there are some important things to keep in mind so that yours don’t fall in the category of the estimated 92% of resolutions that fail. Before resolutions even fail, there are common issues with resolutions that make them difficult to keep: 

·         Over-ambition

The most common source of a failed resolution is over-ambition. If you decide to go from couch potato to body builder, it’s easy to either get burned out or frustrated that it’s so difficult to keep your resolution. The nature of resolutions cause people to think that their habits must change drastically starting January 1^st. Taking smaller steps make a habit easier to keep. 

When starting an activity, people often picture an end goal when making their resolution—like getting six-pack abs. But when this doesn’t happen immediately, it can be disheartening. Try a resolution that involves reasonable goals and extensions after you reach those goals. Or if you have a general goal, focus on smaller aspects and then expand your routine. 

For example, in my last post, I mentioned the goal of improving appearance. Take the easiest steps first, like integrating NeriumAD into your bedtime routine for those that hate seeing fine lines and wrinkles every time they look in the mirror. A simple nightly application of this one-of-a-kind product, the only to contain Nerium oleander extract, can give encouraging results. Developing a habit that helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles can help stick to your goal—it’s hard to make a habit with a method like seeing a dermatologist, since finding the time and available appointments doesn’t always work out regularly. Once you have this habit down, you can look into other avenues of appearance like wardrobe or hair care. 

Check back soon for our last installment of this series, where we’ll look at more reasons why resolutions fail and tips for keeping them.