Happy new year everyone! Hope you have a wonderful year ahead. 

So have you got any new year’s resolutions this year or are you fed up of breaking them all the time that you’re not bothering this time round?

Often people decide to make drastic changes such as lose 2 stone in a month, eat no carbs, exercise everyday, drink no alcohol, etc. Sometimes these changes can be unrealistic to meet so it makes you feel worse when you don’t meet them. I’m going to be discussing ways you can be sure to stick to your new year’s resolutions to help you reach your goals and feel better.

1. Choosing your resolutions – Sometimes you might have quite a few things you want to change but putting a lot of pressure on yourself will begin to backfire. Identify the most important things to focus on and try to accomplish those first. You can even split the year in two so focus on one thing for 6 months and then move on to the next later in the year depending on what it is you are trying to achieve. 
2. Keep resolutions realistic – By setting realistic goals it will be easier to achieve and you’ll feel so good when you reach your goal rather than feeling guilty and disappointed when you don’t reach something unrealistic.
3. Set mini targets – When you set mini targets you will feel rewarded each time you meet them. This will make you feel more positive compared to just setting your main goal. For example, if you want to lose a stone you can aim to lose 1-1.5 pounds each week. 
4. Reward yourself – Rewards really help you to continue to your end goal but if misused can also undo all your hard work so make sure you are strict with rewards. If you want to eat healthy but your reward is a whole day worth of bingeing, then you’re just eating more than the calories you saved on all week! Instead of having a cheat day once a week, maybe have a cheat meal once a week or you could even have a small treat every day such as one biscuit with your tea instead of the usual slice of cake.
5. Don’t be too strict – Don’t be too strict on yourself when you have an occasional slip up. Changes need to be made with the most positive mindset. Just because you’ve broken dry January already doesn’t mean you’ve failed for the rest of the year. You can still drink less than you usually would and feel better about it.

Whatever your new year’s resolutions are make sure you follow the above 5 steps to help you reach your target. Let’s stick to those realistic goals and enjoy the rewards when we reach those mini targets and end results! Happy 2020!