How to make and keep your 2016 resolutions

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: How to make and keep your 2016 resolutions Party poppers at the ready, you’re going out tonight for one last hurrah before you get on the health bandwagon with your New Year’s Resolution. It might be something vague like ‘be healthier’, or ‘drink less’, or it could be something specific like clear out the spare room, or quit smoking by April. The most common resolutions every year include weight loss, more exercise, stop smoking, increase savings and reduce debt. But life coach at Ithaca Life, Sophia Fromell, says it’s important to choose goals that are relevant. She says: “Usually New Year’s resolutions are about changing a habit. “So to make your resolutions work, do not try to change more than three habits at a time. So choose a habit that is important in your life, for example to increase your savings.” Measurable goals will encourage and motivate you. Sophia says: “If your resolution is to save more then determine the exact amount. Equally, do not just commit to be healthier. Define what this means for you. What food you will and will not eat, how often you will exercise. Lastly, do not forget to define how you will measure your success.” Sharing the experience will make it more encouraging, and friends and family will motivate you when you are not feeling motivated yourself. And throughout each month – (come on, you can get past January!), Sophia advises reviewing your progress: “Set regular review periods to evaluate. Be prepared that you might face setbacks, but do not let these setbacks stop you. Learn from your mistakes, redefine your plan and keep going.” So go on, help yourself with some of the top resolutions for 2016. THOU SHALL NOT CLUTTER Decluttering is taking the world by storm. Founder of DecluttrME Shelina Jokhiya says decluttering is essential: “Clutter is nothing more than stagnant energy. Seeing the clutter in your life can create a heaviness in your brain which can lead to irritability, anger and tiredness.” So resolve to thin out your clutter. To get you started, Shelina says: “Pick five things and find a place for them – whether it be the dust bin, donate bin or a proper designated spot. If you don’t know where an item should go, create a new designated spot.” Shelina explains that once belongings have a home, it’s easier to maintain: “Designate an area for your papers – how often do you find papers lying around in different parts of your home? No wonder you cannot find what you are looking for! Designate an inbox tray, box or area in your home, and only put your new incoming papers in that area. Post, school letters, receipts, warranties, menus, etc, put them in this area and review at least twice a week.” See decluttrme.com THOU SHALL NOT SMOKE Everyone knows the dangers of smoking, it is a regular on the resolution rota. But Burjeel Hospital’s pulmonology specialist, Dr Samah Ahmed, says don’t give up on giving up: “Think positively. Even if you’ve failed before there’s no need to think you’ll fail this time.” She says you need to WANT to kick the habit. “You need to have the willingness to quit smoking as this plays a big role in succeeding to do so,” Dr Samah explains. “The biggest hurdle to overcome is successfully dealing with cravings. Take baby steps in order to quit smoking – take it one day at a time or at any pace you are comfortable with in order to succeed, and knowing that nicotine is addictive will help you deal with withdrawal symptoms that can occur, such as bad moods and the urge to smoke.” See burjeel.com   THOU SHALL EXERCISE MORE Regional fitness manager for Fitness First, Charlotte Stebbing agrees that it’s essential to have measurable goals: “A goal isn’t a goal if it cannot be measured. Setting measureable goals also helps us to break down our big goal to make it realistic.” So rather than say ‘exercise more,’ why not decide to participate in a fun run, or have a numerical value attached to your goal. Charlotte says: “Do one thing every day to move yourself closer to your goal, and you cannot fail.” She also recommends tips for keeping motivated throughout the months following January: “Have fun, do training you enjoy. Tell your friends and family about your goals – they will help keep you accountable – and invite them to join. Celebrate each achievement, no matter how small, and reset your short-term goals regularly to keep focused.” Holding yourself accountable will increase your chances of success – so even things like posting on social media, or telling friends and family what you’re planning will help keep you attending. See fitnessfirstme.com THOU SHALL EAT BETTER Nutritionist Rola Al Ghali Mechli from American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Hospital also advocates small steps for losing weight: “Some successful strategies for weight loss are making small changes, and realistic goals with a reasonable rate of weight loss which is 0.5-1 kg per week.” She says integrating movement, and ensuring a mixture of the food groups each day will have you on your way to a healthier lifestyle: “The main challenge of weight management is not during the process of weight loss but it is in maintaining the weight changes.” Rola also advises keeping your intakes balanced: “My advice is to be realistic about energy intake, avoid restrictive eating and avoid rapid weight loss. “Success is when someone adopts healthy changes as part of the lifestyle that will not be replaced with the old unhealthy behaviours once the target weight is achieved because weight can easily bounce back if lifestyle is not maintained.” See aacsh.com THOU SHALL SAVE MORE Senior consultant at Holborn Assets, Keren Bobker has a logical approach to money: “The first step is invariably to keep a proper budget, at least for a few months, so you can see where the money is going every month and where savings can be made.” Document your efforts. Keren says: “Set a date each month when you get up to date on financial issues but if you can spend a few minutes each day keeping a note of what you’ve spent, it becomes a habit. It really won’t take long and you can reward yourself with a bar of chocolate (or whatever works for you).” An easy tip for reducing spending is managing how you are paying for goods. Keren says: “Too many people forget the interest they pay on credit card debt. Just paying off the minimum amount each month will not reduce the debt and will mean you end up wasting a great deal of money on interest. “It’s easy to hand over a credit card, forgetting that it is real money so if that’s you, leave it at home and withdraw cash for your monthly spending so it feels more real.” See myfinancialuae.com caitlyn@7days.ae Read the original story at: How to make and keep your 2016 resolutions