With a new year usually comes new year resolutions. Are you still committed to the choices you have made for 2020? Or feeling sad about not being able to keep up with all the resolutions you have made for the new year? It takes time to change your habits. If you have skipped a day or a week at a gym it is NOT a reason to give up or to punish yourself. No worries! You have not failed yet! The biggest mistake people make is approaching their new year resolutions with an “all or nothing” attitude.

What if we approached this differently?

Here are a few things that can help you stick with your new lifestyle!

1. Change takes time.

Consider how long it took you to build your habits. It probably took months, maybe even years. Building new habits and overwriting old patterns also takes time. You can not expect changing something, that is deeply rooted in your life to evolve in a week, transformation takes time.

2. One mistake does not mean it is over.

Consider how much time and effort it takes for one to develop a new skill. Your new healthier choices are also a skill. And you have to learn them step by step. If you have skipped the gym last Friday night to hang out with your friends, or have treated yourself to a piece of cake after getting a promotion, it does not mean you have failed your resolution and have to wait until next year to restart.

3. Be aware of your patterns.

Start noticing the root of your bad habits. Do you crave sugar at the end of a stressful day? Is it extremely hard for you to go to the gym after a long day at work? And so on... It will be easier for you to introduce a new routine if you understand the cause of your cravings. It will be more manageable to control them or replace them with other choices.

4. It does not have to be “all or nothing”.

Introducing new patterns is shocking to your body and may feel like a whole lot. Instead of exhausting yourself to a point where you want to give up - take it slowly. Listen to your body and consider taking breaks when they are needed. Let the change happen naturally.