Revisiting and revising resolutions

By Justinne Lou Go, RND

HALF of the year just flew by. And by now, it’s also time to check on how we’ve been doing with our resolutions or goals for the year. If you haven’t made them yet, you can still start now. Nobody ever said you have to start right at the beginning of the year anyway. We all have different timelines. If you did make your New Year’s resolutions, and smart ones at that, then tracking your progress must have been part of your plan.

I’ve given tips on how to make resolutions (which I preferred to refer to as “goals”) as my first article for this column this year. Feel free to read that again by visiting SunStar Weekend’s website at http://www.weekend.sunstar.com.ph or by downloading their mobile app. Just type in my name on the search bar of the website or the app and click the “health” label to be directed to all the articles I’ve written for this magazine.

Making goals is just the first step to self-improvement and revisiting them is just as important to check in on yourself and work on some motivation where needed. We can all expect to fall off track at some point so, reviewing the goals we’ve set for ourselves is crucial for us to get back on track. It all boils down to going back to our “why’s” — the reason/s you made the goals in the first place. Health goals are especially important as one’s health is the underlying foundation for all the other goals he or she wishes to achieve in other aspects of his or her life.

So, if you decided to start making some goals to catch up on for the year or are trying to jump back on track, here are some tips to help you stay on the course:

1. Accountability.

No man is an island. We cannot possibly achieve our goals without the help of another person, no matter how small that favor may have been. We cannot just trust ourselves entirely throughout the process either. Two minds are always better than one and oftentimes, other people see some things we miss to see about ourselves and our circumstances. This is why hearing out others’ opinions can be helpful and keeping someone you can be accountable to will keep you motivated.

2. Document.

“It didn’t happen if it’s not on paper.” This line is often iterated as a principle in office and business dealings. The same can be applied with our goals and progress. You can track the things you’ve done to get yourself closer to your goals, whether it’s daily, weekly or monthly, whether through your phone or a handy notebook. If it has to do with eating healthier, keeping a daily food journal would be the best way to track your progress and review it every week, comparing the previous week to the latest week and making notes along the way on which points to improve on. Having a Nutritionist to help you with this can definitely help a lot, too.

3. Notes to self.

Notes to remind and motivate yourself of your goals could also be a big help. You could write your goals on sticky notes and place them strategically in spots around your house, your office desk and even your car to remind you several times in a day. Even posting a photo of the body you were most fit in on your fridge, dresser mirror or mood board in your room could be a good reminder.

4. Small wins are still wins.

Celebrate even the smallest achievements in some way, whether it’s a movie treat for yourself, that new dress or bag you’ve been eyeing on, or even as simple as giving yourself some downtime to catch up on the book you’ve been meaning to read. Of course, if your goals involve your health, you’d want to treat yourself to things that would still support the goals.

5. Share.

Sharing about your goals along with your journey and the achievements you’ve made can help motivate others and give you a sense of fulfillment that your experience can be of help to others. If you’re a more private person, you may just share this with your closest friends or perhaps on your family’s Facebook group if you have one.

As I would always say about health, it’s never too early nor too late to start. But, the earlier the better. So, get started on those goals or jump right back on track if you found yourself a bit side-tracked. What matters is that you’re not giving up. Make the most of what’s left of the year!