Set an obtainable, realistic goal

Well, It’s that time of the year again.

Time to set that New Year’s resolution.

It seems like every year around this time that’s all I hear people talking about.

It also seems like the television commercials are also gearing up for this. With all of the lose weight with this product or that product, join this gym or buy this DVD to work yourself thin commercials, it’s hard to avoid. I also noticed how many stop smoking now commercials there are too.

It’s almost like we think that a new year will magically change our poor behavior; and while it may work for some, it doesn’t for others.

Frankly, I have set my fair share of New Year’s resolutions in the past and I always seem to be let down if I don’t achieve them. Some of this was my own fault.

The key, I have discovered, when setting a New Year’s resolution, is to make sure it is realistic and obtainable. This is true of almost every goal one should set.

For example: one might say “I am going to lose 50 pounds this month.”

Did you gain all of that weight in one month?

I doubt it.

You see, when you set an unrealistic goal you are setting yourself up for failure. A more realistic goal would be “I am going to lose 50 pounds this year.”

Another example of setting an unrealistic goal is when people say “I am going to read a book every week.” It sounds great, but some books could take much longer than one week. One book a month is probably something one can accomplish.

For me: one year I decided to read the complete and unabridged version of “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo. I did not meet that goal. That book is about the size of a dictionary; and while a good read it took me two and a half years to complete. Mind you during that same time, I read dozens of other books too. I quickly learned that “Les Miserables” is a book that requires intense concentration if one really wants to appreciate it.

I have also vowed to lose weight or exercise more and I always start off with good intentions. Most of us do, but then like millions of others I start to drift off course around April or May. This is usually because I have either met my goal or I am happy with they way I look and feel and decide to stop.

This year. I have no plans to lose weight. I couple probably stand to lose 10 pounds, but I am not going to freak out about it. I do intend to get more steps into my day.

For Christmas, I received a Fitbit. For those unfamiliar with this product, a Fitbit, which you can either wear around your wrist or clip to your belt or pants, tracks sleep, steps, calories, water intake and food you eat. All of it is in one device and you can track your progress on a Fitbit app, which is designed for any smartphone.

I started out not even knowing how many steps I take in one day. After only four days of wearing the Fitbit, I still don’t have enough data to know how many steps I take in one day, but I know it is not anywhere near the recommended 10,000 steps a day.

Without knowing where I fell in the spectrum of steps, I set my first week’s goal at 5,000 steps per day. So far I have met and exceeded those for the most part, but I am still not anywhere close to 10,000 steps a day.

I plan to work my way up to it. I figure I average about 6,000 steps a day, but like I said I haven’t been wearing it long enough for a complete analysis.

I will probably adjust next week’s goal to 7,000 steps a week and go from there.

I know if I set a goal of 10,000 steps a day right away, I will fail. You see. I am setting realistic and obtainable goals. This will help me make it all the way to 10,000 steps a day.

Well, enough about me and my Fitbit plans.

Regardless of what you decide as your New Year’s resolution, make sure it is realistic and don’t feel like a failure if you have to adjust it.