Setting SMART New Year’s Resolutions
Many people fail to achieve their New Year’s Resolutions, often giving up by the beginning of the year. There are several reasons people fail to achieve their goals.
One of the reasons people do not achieve their goals is because their resolutions are either too difficult or too vague. The key to following through with your resolutions is setting SMART goals.
SMART Resolutions for Seniors
SMART stands for Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. In other words, rather than setting a goal to “exercise more” this year, your resolutions might look like this:
- Set a goal to exercise ten minutes every day and lose five pounds in a year.
- You can use a calendar to mark the days you successfully met your goal to exercise and journal your weight loss.
- You don’t want to set a goal to exercise an hour a day if you have never done that before.
- Your goal should be something that matters to your life.
- Measuring your progress each day or week will help you avoid procrastination.
Five Resolutions for Seniors This New Year
1) Resolve to Exercise Daily
In conjunction with your level of mobility, set a resolution to exercise a certain amount of time each day. This can help you feel better and even improve your mobility. You do not necessarily have to go to the gym and lift weights every day, but some movement, exercise, and getting outdoors is better than none.
If you want to exercise with your peers, but need to make sure you can carry your wheelchair or mobility assistance equipment, Loyal LIfts Transportation is here for you.
2) Resolve to Read a Book Each Month
Every year you may think this will be the one that you finally start reading more. However, without a SMART reading goal, it is easy to procrastinate until the next New Year rolls around.
This year, resolve to read one book a month (or a week). You might even go ahead and establish your reading plan for the year in January.
The worst-case scenario is that you only read six books, and even then, at least you did more reading than last year.
3) Resolve to Engage in Community
This goal may be more difficult to measure, but if you feel isolated, let this be the year you get out and find community.
- Find a bridge club.
- Find a pickleball league.
- Find a book club.
- Join an art class.
- Find a community with common interests.
If mobility is a concern for you, Loyal LIfts Transportation is here to help. We provide luxurious transportation for seniors and the differently-abled to a variety of locations, including your favorite bridge group.
4) Resolve to Make Better Dietary Choices
This is a resolution that you can make with SMART principles. You know that you will feel better if you eat healthier, but you also know that you like what you like.
Find a friend or family member and hold each other accountable for eating better food and preparing healthier portions. There are many nutrition plans that allow for at least portions of your favorite foods, so this doesn’t have to be a resolution to suffer.
5) Resolve to Stop Smoking
If you are still smoking, this can be the year you resolve to stop. Much like your dietary resolutions, you might find a friend or family member who needs to quiet and plan to work together. You can also talk to a doctor or someone who has quit smoking themselves to get ideas and methods that may work better for you than “cold turkey.”
This is the perfect time of year for making resolutions to improve your health and wellness, engage your mind, and make new friends. Loyal Lifts Transportation provides seniors with excellent, safe, and luxurious wheelchair-accessible shuttle services throughout the Asheville area.
We can help get you wherever you need to go to follow through with your goals this New Year.
Contact us for more information or schedule a ride.