How To Make Your Resolutions Stick

With so many of us well into our new years resolutions, now is the time to find your why. What is your reason to change? What drives you to eat healthier, exercise more, or stress less?

Here, Chris Johnson shares what he thinks is key to successful new years resolutions. Continue reading….

The longer I am in the health and fitness industry the more I realize how important it is to find your “WHY.” Your “why” is your desire, your need; it is your fuel for change to take place. We all know change can be challenging and in many cases extremely difficult. Once a habit gets built into your myelin sheath* you have that habit for a lifetime and to break a habit you must consciously think about undoing the habit until a new one has taking hold. This takes time, focus and energy. This is one reason why when we become stressed or too busy– we go right back to our old comfortable habits! Which is why taking one small step at a time is so crucial for developing healthier new habits.

Finding your “WHY” can occur by one major event in your life such as a death of a family member, divorce, a poor report from your doctor, or some major trigger that gets you to decide that now is your time, your moment of truth that you must change now! Finding your “WHY” can also be an ongoing process, like taking a hiking trip to the Grand Canyon, skiing with your grandkids, having a small wager with your co-worker on losing a few pounds, lowering your blood glucose or blood pressure, something that gets you excited, or something or someone to focus on like new grand kids.

Traveling around the country, speaking to thousands of people each year, I continually challenge my audience to find their “WHY.” Every time I hear from someone who has made changes, I always ask the same questions–what was your WHY or WHY’s? And every time their change is because they had one major WHY or many smaller WHYs.

Remember that your “WHY” must be bigger than your “BUT” for change to occur!

Health & Happiness! Chris

*Myelin sheath is a fatty white substance that surrounds the axon of some nerve cells forming an electrically insulating layer. It is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system.

In order to make your new years resolutions stick–it’s important to find your driver for change to occur. Without this, your new years resolutions are really just wishes, rather than achievable goals. Write down what it is you want to change along with why you want to change and place it somewhere visible to remind you everyday why you do what you do.

Here’s to making your resolutions stick this year!