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We all make New Year's resolutions, but few of us stick to them. If you need extra motivation to stick to this, then this study may do that. In a population of half a million participants, they looked at New Year's resolutions relating to healthy behaviors, like reducing alcohol, exercising more, and eating healthy, and found that it led to a one-third reduction in cancer risk.
Here are 3 things to help you stick to your New Year's resolutions
1. Sleep
The evidence is clear: Low sleep reserves affect your ability to make good decisions.
- Healthy eating: Sleep restriction decreases levels of leptin (the hormone that makes you feel full) and boosts ghrelin, which collectively increases appetite and alters food choices in a negative way. Sleep restriction can change the profile of what you eat to high carbohydrate, salty, sugary snacks.
- Exercise: Adequate sleep improves speed, strength, and endurance.
- Relationships: When we don't sleep, we can be quick to anger.
Hack to get more sleep: Take a “caffeine nap.”
Adenosine is a chemical that promotes sleep. Caffeine prevents adenosine from being full absorbed and thus, prevents drowsiness.
2. Frame your goals positively.
Instead of saying what you don't want to do, state what you want to do.
3. Focus on emotion.
In my study of almost 300 people, I found that one big predictor of sticking to exercise was emotions—both positive and negative.
When people felt positively about exercising, this emotion was associated with an optimistic outlook. Conversely, negative moods associated with a lack of exercise were related to a pessimistic outlook and depressive tendencies.
Take away: Don’t focus on a long-term goal. Instead, think about the emotion you are experiencing when you exercise—this immediate reinforcement will be more likely to help you stick to your workouts.
