Everyone looks forward to starting over in the New Year, and making the decision to get healthier is a good one. However, most people go about it the wrong way. They fail to plan how they are going to do it. Or they try to do everything at once. It’s a process, and needs to be taken step by step.

When most people decide to lose weight, they set goals like, “I will lose two pounds per week”. But various factors that have nothing to do with your lifestyle changes may affect your weight. The best goals are ones that are under your control. Set goals related to how much you exercise or what you eat. If you make these goals small and reasonable, you’ll be more likely to accomplish them.

One of my best friends went on the raw food diet. He ate one cooked meal a day, and most of the food he ate was remarkably similar to what I feed my pet rabbit. The diet worked; he lost weight, but two months later he gained it all back when he started on the Coke and fast food diet. The moral of this story is: while big changes are good for you, you can’t stick with them for the long term. Try setting goals like “I will replace one fatty snack a day with a piece of fruit instead” or “I will walk for ten minutes every day”. Once you reach your goal, set a new one. This makes any diet easier to stick to.

It’s best to only change one thing at a time, or at the most two. Such as, change one food habit and add one exercise option. Look at all the various types of exercise and try to find one you will enjoy, not whatever the latest fad is. If you enjoy the exercise, you’ll be more likely to stick to it.

While starting too fast with a diet can make it hard to stick to, starting too fast with an exercise program can be dangerous. Doing too much too soon can not only wear you out, it can cause permanent damage to your body. Remember to pick your exercise program and start small. If you decide to run, run until you’re too tired. Then walk the rest of the time. You may only run five minutes the first day, but if you keep it up you’ll be running the entire way in no time.

The first best step for you to do is consult your doctor and have them help you design a suitable diet and exercise program, that takes all your possible health needs into consideration. Set obtainable goals, and focus more on being healthier first, and the rest will fall into place. Don’t worry so much about what the scale says, notice more of how your clothes fit you.

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