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doesn’t work—and what does. That’s
valuable knowledge to apply to your
next try.
2. Refine
Once you’ve decided on a realistic
resolution, tweak it until it’s
specific. You might refine:
●
●
“Exercise more” to “Walk more
this week” or “Take two
10-minute walks every day.”
●
●
“Eat less junk food” might become
“Freeze grapes for afternoon
snacks.”
Another key refinement: write
down a detailed plan for meeting
each goal.
3. Redesign
Does the treadmill bore you? Try
kickboxing or rowing. Is life’s
chronic time crunch sabotaging
your efforts to eat more veggies?
Switch from fresh to quicker-to-fix
frozen. They’re equally nutritious.
Does driving tempt you to smoke?
Stock your car with toothpicks
to nibble on instead.
As you redesign
resolutions, says
Dr. Rodriguez, consider
adding strategies that help
with motivation:
Make a fresh start!
3 R’s for achieving your health goals in the new year
Cheers to the new year.
It’s a chance for you to hit the reset
button on your resolutions. Maybe
you fell short of your health goals in
the past, but don’t let that lapse get
you down.
Shirley Rodriguez, DO, family
medicine physician with Dignity
HealthMedical Group Nevada, says,
“Maybe it’s time to jump-start them
again.”Here are three strategies from
Dr. Rodriguez to help you successfully
revive health goals gone awry:
1. Reflect
Think about why your resolution
fizzled out. Ask yourself:
Was it realistic?
If you never
exercise, deciding to hit the gym
everymorning probably isn’t realistic.
Attainable goals—like “I’ll get off the
bus three blocks before my stop and
walk the rest of the way”—set the
stage for success you can build on.
What got in the way?
Boredom,
lack of time, and not having a
concrete plan are common obstacles.
What worked?
Every time you try
a new behavior, whether it’s quitting
tobacco or finding ways to relieve
stress, you discover two things: what
●
●
Track your progress in a journal.
●
●
Partner with someone who shares
your goal. Cheer each other on—
and hold each other accountable
for sticking to the plan.
●
●
Program an electronic device to
send you reminders, such as
“Schedule a health screening,”
“Meet your exercise buddy,” or
“Take time to de-stress.”
Finally, if your resolve dissolves
again, go easy on yourself. You can
always take what you learned today
and try again tomorrow.
6
StRoseHospitals.org|
Winter 2016
Shirley Rodriguez, DO
Family medicine physician
at Dignity Health Medical
Group Nevada
Start by doing what’s necessary,
then do what’s possible, and suddenly
you are doing the impossible.
—Francis of Assisi