4 Ways to Actually Make Your New Years Resolution Work

Every year, millions of health enthusiasts imbue their hopes and dreams of a better body and a clearer mind into their New Years resolutions — a practice that has now achieved infamous status as one that is hardly followed through on. Just around 8% of people actually ‘keep’ their resolutions.

Let’s make this year different.

Here are 4 easy ways to make 2015 the year in which your resolutions actually stick. And resolutions aside, all of them actually make your life easier in general.

1. Don’t Tell Anyone Your Big Plans

It’s a common misconception that the first thing you should do upon launching your newfound resolution decree is to shout it to the rooftops. After all, won’t informing your friends, family, and strangers build somewhat of a ‘support’ community in which they can help you achieve them?

The answer, in reality, is ‘absolutely not’. One of the leading reasons that your New Years resolutions aren’t progressing has to do with the immediate satisfaction of telling everyone about how great you’re going to look. It’s similar to why millions of people buy ‘self-help’ books and never read them. The satisfaction of buying it made them feel like they did something.

To add to this, you can expect a lot of negative reactions to your desire to shed 30, 40, or 100 pounds for the New Year. Whether it stems from jealousy over your new driven approach to health or a simple pessimistic attitude, many people will shoot down your dreams in an instant.

2. Don’t Underestimate Your Body

Never underestimate the power of your own body. Whether it’s in a positive or negative light, your body’s response to change will always amaze you. What does this ‘practically’ mean? It means that if you decide to quit smoking, for example, it is oftentimes the wrong approach to decide that on January 1st you will adopt the ‘cold turkey’ method and magically stop smoking forever.

Your body doesn’t like that plan. It’s loaded with toxic substances like tar and radioactive ingredients from the cigarettes, and it’s downright addicted to the nicotine that you’ve been feeding it for what may be years. The same applies to sugary, unhealthful food. Your body does not share your resolution enthusiasm.

Instead, start with a simple detox in the New Year. Phase out the bad food, phase out the cigarettes for a less toxic source of nicotine, and begin the healing process the right way. Just as with fish and animals, going into a state of bodily shock may in fact be more catastrophic than your previous toxic state.

You can quit smoking, quit junk food, shed the weight, and transform your body; just make sure you’re working with your body — not against it.

3. Make Your Resolution ‘Natural,’ Not Stressful

Want to ensure that you do in fact hit the gym 3 times a week, and that you do in fact prepare your green smoothie every morning? The answer is simple: don’t make it such a big deal, and instead adopt it into the same category as brushing your teeth. What do I mean by that? It’s very simple.

When you wake up in the morning, do you stress about the idea of brushing your teeth? Do you question whether or not today will be ‘one of those days’ where you brush the plaque off of your teeth and gums? Of course not. You brush your teeth like you do every morning, and hopefully every night (if you don’t then make sure to make this one of your resolutions – you silly unhygienic reader).

The reason you simply brush your teeth without thinking is because you have already accepted that brushing your teeth is something that you have to do. It’s a requirement. It’s something that must be done.

If you can adopt this thinking to working out, making smoothies, going to the natural grocery store, then it will come as second nature. Don’t stress about it the entire day, just accept that it is happening!

4. Get Rid of These Foods

The last thing you need during your quest to change your body and fulfill your 2015 resolutions is a power punch of toxic food items to alter your state of mind. As a general rule, even outside of the New Year, always be sure that you are not chowing down on these substances:

• Aspartame – An artificial sweetener found in gum, diet soda, and candies.

• High-fructose corn syrup – A mercury-containing corn sweetener that makes people ‘fat and dumb.’

• Artificial flavorings

• GMOs (genetically modified organisms) found in most staple crops. Buy non-GMO verified and USDA organic to avoid these.

• Sugar – Avoid eating in excess of 14 grams per day of sugar and watch your body transform and your mind become clearer)

New Years resolutions can be challenging to keep, and there’s a reason that 92% of people do not keep their resolutions. You can make 2015 different and follow these 4 key steps. Now is the time to change your body naturally the way you have always wanted.