HOW are your New Year’s Resolutions (NYR)? Perhaps you have failed many times and have lost the desire to make changes.
Three months ago, my friend Rosse G. shared with me a health change she has adapted. “It’s something you can do because you are allowed to start it slowly in a small way. I’ve been exercising regularly because of this,” she said.
“I exercise daily. I do arm stretches to open the refrigerator door.”
“This is serious,” she said. “This is an NYR you can share with others.”
I have failed many times when it comes to regularly doing something good for myself. I don’t mean buying new shoulder bags. I mean making new habits.
According to Huffington Post, a study made by a team at the University College London found the length it takes for something to become a habit is 66 days and not 21 days.
Start the new habit one day at a time in small steps. Here are some things Rosse taught me.
1) Make your environment neat. As soon as you wake up, fold the blankets. No matter how hectic your day will be, do this first thing. An uncluttered room or desk will give you a psychological boost to start the day well.
2) Drink water. Drink two glasses of water after tidying up the room. Remember to drink water whenever you pass by the office water cooler or the water dispenser at home.
3) Exercise 30 minutes a day. There are many ways of getting your body fine turned without breaking the bank: Jump rope. Jog in place. Dance or walk.
4) Drop the junk. It’s been two months since I had my last drink of soda and had a bag of corn chips. I picture cholesterol running around my veins and sugar digging into my teeth so I can control my desire to have junk food.
Happy new you.