LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Do you want to run in a 5k race this year? Or look to drop the 10, 20, or even 30 pounds your doctor suggest you lose? Or even get to the point where you can maybe get off some blood pressure medicine?
Well before you start a resolution to reach you specific health goal, you need to do a self-assessment by asking yourself some key questions.
“Why do you want to do it? What is it going to take in your life to change to do that? And who is going to help you succeed in that? Because you can’t do it all by yourself,” says Caitlyn Stoner, Fitness Coordinator for Mercy Health – St. Rita's.
Stoner says to reach your goal you need to make a plan that make sense for your lifestyle.
“If you are not a morning person, are you going to make yourself be a morning person to get those things done before your day starts, you know, before your workdays starts. Or are you more of an evening person, is it something throughout the day that you are going to have to do. So, it is really just breaking down your day and trying to do the best that you can as far as planning,” states Stoner.
She suggests setting mini goals to reach a bigger one, instead of getting overwhelmed by doing everything all at once.
“Because if you try to go straight at it, head on, or cold turkey, you know it’s overwhelming and it can be scary,” adds Stoner. “So, to be able to break it down into mini goals, whether that is ten minutes a day or taking a 30 minute walk every other day to work up to that goal.”
When life happens and you get sidetracked from your goal, don’t be discouraged. Allow room to adapt to something new that will keep getting you closer to your goal. Because remember making a resolution is easy but sticking to it is hard.
“It might seem very easy. It is changing a part of your life, to changing a habit that you have done for a long time that you want to change. So, just remember why you want to change it and always go back to that when you are struggling,” says Stoner.
And if need some extra help with getting set on your path, Stoner says reach out to places like Mercy Health – St. Rita's to find the people that are going to help you succeed.
