Five realistic New Year's resolutions
Many of us use New Year鈥檚 as a time to consider life changes鈥攁nd then not make them. According to聽聽published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 8% of Americans achieve their resolutions over the long term.
Not only are resolutions often fruitless, but between gym membership and special diets, they can be expensive. And if you don鈥檛 follow through? That money is wasted.
聽tend to be small and specific鈥攁nd if they鈥檙e cheap, all the better. Try one of these five to start 2015 off right.
Meditate for three minutes each day
Losing weight was Americans鈥� most common resolution in 2014. But resolution-makers were often disappointed, and for good reason, believes Julie Stubblefield, blogger at Fit Mom Revolution. Because all bodies lose weight differently, she tells her readers to 鈥淸set] goals that support losing weight鈥� instead of watching the scale.
According to Brandie Sellers, a registered yoga instructor based in McKinney, Texas, regular meditation is one of these goals. She recommends beginning with a three-minute guided meditation practice. Many phone apps offer them. 鈥淥nce you can do three minutes without too much trouble, maybe after a week, you can do it for five minutes,鈥� she says.
Research suggests that meditation can help prevent聽. 鈥淚t also affects your ability to problem-solve and be creative,鈥� Sellers says.聽
Drink more water
For those who want to lose weight, physical activity and healthy food are both key. Unfortunately, they can also be time-consuming. There鈥檚 no substitute for eating right. But if you want to start small, stay hydrated.
鈥淒rink water regularly throughout the day,鈥� says Steve Silberberg, owner of Fitpacking, a company that plans and leads backpacking trips. 鈥淲hen you do this, eat a small snack, such as a handful of peanuts or a piece of fruit.鈥�
Set a budget
To meet your financial goals, you need to save鈥攁nd doing more of that was Americans鈥� third most common resolution last year. But it鈥檚 also critical to save responsibly. This is where聽聽comes in.
鈥淏y laying out all of your sources of income and various expenses, you will know exactly where you stand financially and how much money you have left over after paying all the bills,鈥� says Christopher de Lorimier of O鈥機onnor Wealth Management in Pasadena, California. 鈥淔rom there, you can look at establishing an emergency savings account鈥� [and] begin investing for retirement and other financial goals.鈥�
Even if you have a budget, it鈥檚 worth taking another look for 2015 if your income or expenses have changed.
Prune your possessions
鈥淕etting organized鈥� was Americans鈥� second most common resolution last year, and it spurred many purchases of fancy storage bins. But organizing is less important when you have less stuff.
Molly Graves, co-founder of the San Francisco-based organization service NEAT Method, suggests consumers check their kitchens and bathrooms for expired products and schedule a quarterly pickup from a charity like the Salvation Army. 鈥淜nowing that a nonprofit is depending on your donation will help you stay on top of eliminating unnecessary items,鈥� she says.
Commit to a weekly night without screens
Spending more time with family rounded out Americans鈥� top 10 resolutions for 2014. But between busy schedules and the beeps and boops from various gadgets, family time fell off many priority lists. This is why Jeannie Bertoli, a Los Angeles-based relationship and divorce trainer, suggests families spend one night a week together, without phones, TV or computers.
What should you do instead? Bertoli recommends keeping it simple: 鈥淵ou can put together a puzzle, go for a walk鈥� or just lie on the ground and look up.鈥� She adds, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when kids open up the most, when you鈥檙e not sitting eye-to-eye.鈥�
If games are your family鈥檚 thing, Claudia Grauf-Grounds, chair and professor of marriage and family therapy at Seattle Pacific University, says, 鈥淏ingo or the Ungame, where questions are related to getting to know each other, are great choices for a range of ages.鈥�
In fact, Bertoli believes that if you鈥檙e feeling stressed or disconnected鈥攁nd not just from your family鈥攍imiting screen time can be a helpful resolution.鈥淏efore you put something on the plate, you have to take something off the plate,鈥� she says.
