New Years Resolutions: Think Outside of the Box

Did any of you make a New Years Resolution to exercise more or lose weight? If so, you are not alone. These are the most common New Years Resolutions. While I am the first person to recommend losing weight or exercising, I would suggest this year that you think outside of the box and make a different kind of New Years Resolution.

While I personally am not a New Years Resolution person, I think the start of the new year is a good time to take inventory with what is going on in your life and to think about what kind of positive changes you could make. I guess you could call them resolutions.

Here are some suggestions for “thinking outside of the box” for your New Years Resolutions:

1. Your life is not balanced.
The majority of people I know spend too much of their time working (me included!). It seems as if each year that goes by, we work more and more hours and have less time for family, friends, exercise, traveling or just time for ourselves. This can take a toll on our personal life and health. The first step is becoming aware that you are working too much. You don’t to wake up one day when you are 70 years old and think I all I did was work!

2. Spend more time with family and friends.
I have a group of friends I used to see at least twice a month. For the past year or two, I am lucky if I see them 4 times a year. Relationships are an essential part of health. Isolation and loneliness create responses in the body similar to those of stress. The body does not function as well as when we are connected to other people. Invest time with family and friends not only for happiness, but for physical health too.

3. You are stuck in a rut.
Many of us are creatures of habit. We eat the same thing for breakfast, go to work, use the same pieces of exercise equipment at the gym, come home and watch your favorite shows. These repetitive habits can get us into a rut. Trying something new can really help to energize yourself.

Here are some suggestions for new activities:

• Take a dance lesson. I would recommend salsa dancing!  These classes have gotten really popular since Dancing with the Stars. It is a great way to meet people and to get some exercise.
• Try a new class at your gym – maybe kickboxing, yoga or pilates. Or how about training for a 5 K race or a sprint triathalon?
• Take a photography class
• Try an online dating service
• Take a cooking class
• Do something new to your apartment. Get some new furniture, artwork, rug, etc. It can give your place a new look. Change can be invigorating.

4. You have become a pack rat.
Many of us have a hard time throwing things out which causes us to accumulate all kind of things in our homes and/or offices.  I have files of papers, newsletters and magazines that I hold onto thinking I will read them one day. When our homes and offices are a cluttered mess, it is difficult to function well. De-cluttering your home can make you feel more relaxed and peaceful, while de-cluttering your can make you more organized and improve work efficiency.

5. Your health is not a priority.
Do you get enough sleep?  Drink too much? Don’t eat enough fruits and veggies? Haven’t been to the dentist in a few years? Have no idea what your blood pressure and cholesterol are? Many of us tend to put off preventative health care. However, while you are still healthy is the most important time to take care of yourself as it can help ward off illness in the future.

Tips to help you keep your New Years Resolutions

– First, you have to have a goal – or several goals. Just don’t pick too many or you will overwhelm yourself. For example, let’s say your goals are to de-clutter your apartment, work on getting more sleep and have a more balanced life.

– Second, you need to come up with a specific plan as how to accomplish your goals.
We all do this in our jobs. Why do we have so much trouble doing it in our personal life? 

1. Setting daily, weekly, and monthly goals is a good idea.
Examples for setting specific goals
–  With regards to getting more sleep, this week you will turn the television/ computer off by midnight and get into bed with a book. Next week you will do it by 11:30. The following week you will stop drinking caffeine by 3 pm.
– With regards to de-cluttering: this week you will clean out the large file cabinet, next week you will go through your stack of magazines, and so on.
– With regards to having a more balanced life: this week you will pick 3 days a week to go to the gym and put it in your appointment book. Next week, you will stop working at home or the office by 8 pm each night. You will pick one day a week to meet friends for lunch, dinner or drinks. 

2. It can help to write your goals on paper. It makes them more “real”.

3. Some people it helpful to enlist the support of other people, perhaps your spouse, friend or co-worker.

4. Review your goals and assess your progress on a regular basis. Think positive. Optimism brings success.

So I have selected my goals for this year. I am going to have a more balanced life and work on marketing the nutrition blog I started last year. I have written them down and came up with a plan as to how I will accomplish them.

What are your goals for 2008?