New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions

            Many people in all cultures like to make resolutions to change their behaviors for the new year. Is this you? Read the four standard points of this blog in the header to apply. Then ask yourself, “Are you rationalizing your resolution to get what you want?”  Are you serious, or just bragging to your friends?

Next, will the new behavior require more pain or pleasure? You know you’ll stop the new behavior when you feel it is not pleasurable. So, how can you make the behavioral change fun? Trick your brain. Keep your expectations a.k.a. goals low positive to feel rewarding.

If your expectations exceed reality, you will always be frustrated and end the pain by quitting. Weight loss appears to be the #1 resolution. That new goal is not driven by a change in your eating or exercising habits. Those are the pleasurable parts that need to change the most.

Examine your routines and habits. When, where, and what do you like to eat (feel pleasure)? Then, reduce every food intake by one-half, and use the stairs or park a block away from the store. Stop buying anything that tastes sweet.

Without those modifications, when you tell your brain I need to lose 30 pounds, your brain subconsciously is saying, “Yah, right.” You’re not serious. And why did you gain those 30 pounds in the first place?

When you set a low positive goal, you only need to lose one pound per week. Do the little things that count. Cut your food intake by one-half and exercise a bit more. Walk a bit farther and faster in the parking lot to the store. Use the stairs! Feel rewarded with small changes.

Take the behavioral rule, “You cannot build accountability in a micromanagement system.” Do you require a personal trainer or group workout to hold yourself accountable? So, without that how long will your resolution last?

Use your home scales and set low positive goals. Weigh yourself every morning before eating breakfast after you void your bladder. This reinforces the changes to your eating and exercising habits.

Next, go do some push ups and stomach curls. If difficult, start with fewer and slowly build up the number of repetitions. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO LOSE 30 LBS. AND GET STRONGER IN ONE WEEK. Your muscles will feel sore and painful, and you’ll quit.

Start with only 5 or 10 repetitions and build up more every few days as your muscles adapt. This proves very rewarding to continue with self-discipline in the new routine. You don’t need a trainer or group.

The other behavioral rule, “The more you do for people, the less they learn to do for themselves.”  Are you letting people do more for you that you must learn to do for yourself? This is your body so take care of it and know why you need to do that.

Who buys and prepares your food and diet quantity? Your goal is not their goal. Maybe they like to see you, fat and out of shape, so they look better with no pressure to change their behaviors, too.

So, let’s review. Set a realistic low positive goal to lose only one pound per week. Start to exercise you can easily do and feel rewarded and pleasurable to keep improving. Do as a new daily routine. Be reliant and self-disciplined to do for yourself instead of depending on others to hold you accountable for change.

If you want to improve, you cannot blame others for your poor performance.