Tips to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution on Track

The first month of the new year is quickly coming to an end. If you’re like many Americans who made a New Year’s resolution, chances are you’ve fallen off the wagon by now. A study from the University of Scranton found that about 25 percent of those who made a resolution abandoned it after seven days into the new year. Even more disheartening, only 19 percent reported that they had achieved their goal and continued their healthier habits two years later. If you have fallen off track, here are a few tips to get you back on course.

Get Fit and Eat Healthier
The Fix: After the overindulgence of the holidays, it probably seemed like a good idea to make drastic changes to your diet. However, you’re more likely to stick with a healthier diet if you try adding more nutritious options a little at a time. For example, if you generally eat white rice try eating brown rice instead. If your plan to go to the gym five days a week for an hour has not gone as you hoped, try implementing activity into your daily life. Simple steps like parking the car further when you get to your destination or walking places instead of driving can make a difference.

Stress Less
The Fix: Perhaps your resolution to meditate regularly or just “stop and smell the roses” more often has not happened. If this is the case, don’t try and adhere to a strict regimen to de-stress. Resolve to start anew and not be so hard on yourself. Try making small changes like journaling your thoughts, spending more time with friends, doing deep breathing exercises, or exploring a new hobby.

Quit Smoking
The Fix: Kicking the habit can be very challenging so support is vital. Try joining a smoking cessation program or calling into a telephone-based support line. Homeopathic medicines can also help relieve some of the negative side effects of quitting. When you feel the need to eat more because you’re trying not to light up, try Nux vomica 30C.* Nux can also help relieve symptoms of irritability associated with quitting.* When those tobacco cravings hit, Lobelia inflata 6C can offer some relief.* Additionally, if you feel nervous or hypersensitive to everyday stress during this time, try Ignatia amara 30C. * For more information, watch homeopathic expert Joette Calabrese’s video on other useful blue tube single medicines.

To find the right homeopathic medicine for other everyday conditions, explore the free Boiron Medicine Finder app.

*These “Uses” have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

References:
Norcross Study Makes News. Norcross Study Makes News. http://www.scranton.edu/news/royalnews/releases/2016/01/13/norcross-nye-resolutions.shtml. Accessed January 19, 2017.

Bernstein L. It’s a week into January and a quarter of us have already abandoned our New Year’s resolutions. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/01/07/its-january-7-and-a-quarter-of-us-have-already-abandoned-our-new-years-resolutions/?utm_term=.4feee203f9e3. Published January 7, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2017.

Getting Help with the Mental Part of Tobacco Addiction. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/guide-quitting-smoking/getting-help-with-the-mental-part-of-tobacco-addiction.html. Accessed January 20, 2017.