Guest Post: Alex of "Alex Tries It Out"

Hello all! My name is Alex, and I blog at Alex Tries it Out. I’m a graphic designer, runner, and blogger living in central Iowa and (constantly attempting to) live a healthy lifestyle. I love this time of year. It’s a fresh start - a chance to evaluate goals, make new ones, or start over, if you need to. You don’t have to think about what you did (or didn’t accomplish) last year. It’s a clean slate! People are great at making resolutions. But one thing that many people struggle with is the follow through. New Years’ Resolutions can get a bad rap when they aren’t followed, but with a few techniques, you can be a successful ‘resolver’.

1. Fail to plan, and plan to fail. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s totally true. For every resolution you have in mind for this year, sit down and make a plan as to how you’ll accomplish that goal. Want to eat better? Plan your meals weekly. Want to lose 20 pounds? Write down when you will go to the gym, what you will do, and for how long.  Then, in those moments when you are stressed out, or tired, you have a reference point to stay on-track.
2. Just because you slip, doesn’t mean you have to fall. Resolutions aren’t easy to achieve. But the most important thing to remember is that one slip-up, mistake, or misstep doesn’t mean you’ve failed completely. Brush yourself off, and move on! Better yet, look at why you slipped up, and learn from it.
3. Divide and conquer. Setting smaller monthly goals is a great way to ‘check in’ throughout the year. You can even set bi-weekly goals if you want. The most important part of this process is having quantifiable measurements to mark your progress, to make sure that you’re actually making that progress.

One of the hardest things I've ever done is running my first half-marathon. But I used all these tips, and I finished successfully! Give them a try - they won't let you down!

 Are you normally able to fulfill your resolutions? What are you planning on doing this year?