NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS SUGGESTED FOR BRIGG FOLK

FROM NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL

North Lincolnshire Council is encouraging people to achieve their goals this New Year by following a number of helpful tips. Most people will make a New Year’s resolution, but only one in 10 people will achieve their goal – this can be changed.
Evidence shows that succeeding with your resolutions is down to a few simple tricks; firstly making your resolution a realistic and achievable one. If you’re stuck for ideas, the list below provides the most commonly made resolutions:

1. Get in shape
2. Stay in touch and make new friends
3. Quit smoking
4. Save money
5. Cut your stress
6. Volunteer
7. Get back into education
8. Eating healthier/eat less food
9. Watch less TV
10. Cut back on alcohol
11. Exercise more
12. Get more sleep
13. Travel more
14. Get a better job
15. Get out of debt
16. Become happier
17. Stop procrastinating
18. Become more confident and take chances
19. Practice mindfulness and healthy living habits
20. Learn to cook

Many people fail to achieve their New Year’s resolutions because they hadn’t made a plan on how they would succeed.
Without a plan, a resolution can soon feel like a mountain to climb. Here are some helpful tips you can follow to make sure you achieve your goal:

• Make only one resolution. Your chances of success are greater when you channel energy into changing just one aspect of your behaviour/lifestyle.
• Think about your resolutions and take some time and reflect upon what you really want to achieve.
• Breakdown your resolution into parts. This forces you to think in practical terms and get rid of unrealistic changes before you set about making them.
• Avoid previous resolutions. Deciding to revisit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappointment.
• Don’t run with the crowd and choose a resolution just because that’s what your friend is doing. Instead think about what you really want out of life.
• Break you goal into a series of steps, focusing on creating sub-goals that are concrete, measurable and time-based.
• Tell your friends and family about your goals. You’re more likely to get support and want to avoid failure.
• Regularly remind yourself of the benefits associated with achieving your goals by creating a checklist of how life would be better once you obtain your aim.
• Give yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub-goal, this maintains motivation and provides a sense of progress.
• Make your plans and progress concrete by keeping a handwritten journal, completing a computer spreadsheet or covering a notice with graphs or pictures.
• Expect to revert to your old habits from time-to-time. Treat any failure as a temporary setback rather than a reason to give up altogether.

The thing about goals is that if you set them and don’t refer back to them, you’re going to forget them so plan, plan and plan!

Councillor Rob Waltham, from Brigg, Cabinet Member for Health, Strategic Projects and Regeneration, said: “With the whole year ahead of you, now is the perfect time to sit down and prepare a list of important lifestyle changes you want to make. It’s important that you think about your goal or resolution to ensure it will be something you stick to. Quite often people will say they are making a New Year’s resolution as a passing comment, so make 2016 the year you achieve your goals – even if it’s just one!”

Dr Margaret Sanderson, Clinical Chair, North Lincolnshire CCG, said: “At the turn of the New Year, many people commit to making positive lifestyle changes. It is important to think about how you will achieve these goals so try to set realistic expectations as it is difficult to change long standing habits overnight. If your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, for example, start by making small changes. Educate yourself about healthy eating rather than starting a radical diet. Eat more fruit and vegetables, undertake light exercise and drink more water. These small changes can make a big difference.”