2019 is a new year dedicated to improving my health, both physically and mentally. There is so much I want to accomplish to make this year truly my year. Here is how I'm doing it:
1. Find someone to motivate you.
This can mean going to a coffee shop on campus and planning your week out with a classmate or going to the gym with a partner. Finding someone with similar goals allows you to hold each other accountable and you'll be more likely to stick to your plan.
It doesn't even have to be someone actively there, even just having a best friend who's there for you for encouragement every night on the phone gives you an extra boost.
2. Start small.
For the longest time, I just said I wanted to lose 50 pounds; that's a huge, long-term goal that I won't see for a very long time. Once I reevaluated things and thought about it, I modified my goal to be much more realistic for my lifestyle: I want to get under 200 pounds (-20 pounds) and overall just feel better about myself. See the difference?
3. Don't change too much too fast.
There are plenty of habits I should kick: drinking soda, eating sweets/carbs... the list could go on. But, there are also plenty of habits I want to add: drink more water (especially in the morning), eat more protein-heavy meals, curve the cravings with healthy snacks, and go to the gym three times a week. If you try and put everything in place at once, you're setting yourself up to fail. Pick one thing and work towards that, and once you achieve that consistently, then you can add on another goal/habit you have in mind.
4. Schedule and plan ahead.
If you know what your week looks like and you have it physically there in front of you, it is easy to see where you have holes to plug in new things, like working out, reading a new book, etc. It also makes your life run much more smoothly to have a plan.
Plans change, but knowing what you're getting yourself into each week and each day takes a lot of stress off your shoulders.
We all want to succeed and when we set a new goal, it can be hard to get started and feel like you're actually moving towards being successful at it. By implementing little things like what I mentioned above into your daily or weekly routine, you'll be closer to achieving whatever your heart desires.
Remember, it takes time to build a routine and work towards goals, but you can do it!