Wow! I visited my site today and am shocked that what I have to say didn’t change much from a year ago, however, will my actions change this year? I see this statistic a lot stating that 50% of people who make a new year’s resolution do not follow through with it. I feel like the number should be higher. SO what do I have to say this year? I promise I will do MORE.

To start, here’s my list of 10 ways to stick to those food/life/healthier lifestyle goals that we all set up for ourselves now that the holidays are over and we aren’t indulging in sweets and libations with abandon. I hope I am not alone in this! I will use my personal goal as an example:

1. Limit your goals and work on one thing at a time. I retired from my second job as a manicurist/esthetician so I could focus more on my foodie passion. That sounds like a huge goal but when I broke it down I realized that I just want to have one post a month and to try one new recipe every two weeks.

2. Write your goal(s) down. I have a post-it hanging over my laptop that reads “melindasayseat” and another one that reads “be productive TODAY”. I see it before I head out for the day and before I sleep. It’s a constant reminder!

3. Be specific. For me, now that I do not work on Sundays as a manicurist, I should be technically spending that time working on my single goal and because I have it written down, it should be simple enough right? Write a post.

4. Break it up. Set deadlines for yourself as if you’re your own boss. When do you want the goal or the list of things that need to get done to reach your goal to be completed? Set that time in your calendar and treat it like an appointment with yourself.

5. Involve a friend. I have a really supportive staff person who knows about my website and just about every week she checks in with me and the progress I am making on it. She’s encouraging and excited and as I am writing this I think about her reading this post (thank you Patti!).

6. Track your progress. How do I plan on measuring my progress? Well the link to my website is on my Instagram account, my facebook profile, my email signature. I can check the website stats and see if the # of visitors increase. But knowing that people could potentially wander onto my website is enough for me to stick to my goal.

7. Anticipate obstacles. I get distracted easily and I have the perfectionism syndrome (really just an excuse) but this youtube video truly resonated with me and helped me identify my reluctance to post again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1421914688&x-yt-cl=84503534&v=iEsJsH6Jz-o

8. 80/20. I know I SHOULD be working on stuff Sundays since I am not working my second job but if there is an opportunity to spend time with friends or loved ones, I can take a break OR i can even work on it Saturday. But really 80/20 is allowing yourself leeway.

9. Stay positive. Despite the fact that I told myself I would start January 4th (the first Sunday of 2015) it’s Saturday night towards the end of January before my first post. I am so glad I am taking this step and hey it is still January! I have to give myself that.

10. Take care of yourself. Don’t stress! High cortisol levels do nothing for your skin or nerves. Stressing out does nothing positive for your body or mind. When I do feel stressed, I work out. Physical activity releases positive hormones that helps counteract the bad feelings but we need to exercise our heart muscle. The heart is what supports us and we are doing ourselves a disservice by not taking care of it adequately. Another thing I make sure to do is get plenty of sleep. Lack of sleep can mean high cortisol levels! Your body needs to be recharged and healthy in order for you to think and move accordingly to accomplish your goals. Lastly drink more water, not sugar-ladened beverages. I love wine but i’ll drink an equal amount if not double the amount of water to help my body function and rid itself of toxins.

The last point may seem random considering my personal goal is to create more nutrition posts and videos but let’s apply it to a goal of eating healthier and a secondary goal of losing weight. Let’s say you want to eat healthier, write it down and then list how you plan to do that. What do you currently do that are not-so-healthy actions that you can cut back or stop altogether? Work on one listed item at a time and when you’ve mastered that move on (they say a habit takes about 30 days so keep at it). Evaluate where you are every 2-4 weeks to see how closely you are towards reaching your goals. Consider telling a friend but make sure she/he is supportive and non-judgy yet will be able to keep you accountable rather than validating your oopsies. Track your progress by writing down your food intake/mood/time in a journal. I also like to summarize my daily intake by writing down a positive thing i did that day irrespective of everything else. If you know what your weaknesses are, figure out how you can conquer them. I tend to buy more food at a grocery store when i do not have a list to go by and when i am hungry SO i sometimes bring a snack and i ALWAYS have a list. 80/20 really applies since it’s ok to give yourself that treat since denying yourself a bite of home-made coconut macarons may cause an obsession that will later result in indulging in 4 of them (true story). Staying positive so if you’re writing down what you eat, evaluate yourself but don’t be hard on yourself if you give into the 20% but if you feel as if you’re not sticking to your goal, turn to your support or re-evaluate your goal. All the other things I listed in point 10 are actions that I feel are necessary to reaching the goal of eating healthier and losing weight. When we are more rested, we do not feel like we need sugary foods and beverages to re-charge. When we aren’t stressed we don’t reach for that donut or chocolate bar. When we have water, our body can function and help move the food along and when we get physical activity, it’s like an energy boost and also the endorphin release we need to continue to better ourselves.

So there it is. My first post this year. One post a month! Please share with me some of YOUR goals in the comments below: