Tips for keeping your New Year’s resolution

New year, new you? You can do it! Use these tips from UC Davis Health when planning your New Year’s resolutions:

Set yourself up for success. Choosing one or two goals is a good route to go. If you have more than a couple, they could overwhelm you and result in you losing your focus. Another bit of advice: “Avoid picking a goal that you’ve tried in the past but failed,” UC Davis Health says. “You may set yourself up to fall into the same pitfalls that stopped you previously. Instead, pick something different where you can set up a better path to success. Or maybe you can modify a previous goal if that’s something you still want to accomplish.”

Think through your goal. How will you accomplish your goal? What steps will you take to make changes? By what date do you want to achieve your goal? Do some research and put your plan in writing. And remember: Be specific. If your resolution is to learn a new language, for example, use statements like, “I will practice three times a week.”

Be realistic. You should start small. If you want to lose weight, don’t tell yourself you’re going to lose 30 pounds in 90 days. Instead, commit to losing 1-2 pounds a week. This makes the goal more achievable.

Team up. Accountability is key, so it’s a good idea to partner with a friend or family member to help you stay on track. A spouse can cook healthier meals with you. A neighbor can be your walking partner. Or ask someone to do a weekly check-in with you to measure your progress.

Give yourself time. Change won’t happen overnight, so be patient with yourself. Don’t let one bad day steer you off course. Keep doing what you set out to do and eventually it will become part of your lifestyle!