New Year New Resolutions

2016 is just around the corner and like millions of other people, I can't resist the opportunity to make New Year's resolutions. Like most people, losing weight, getting more exercise, and looking better top my list or resolutions. According to nielson.com, staying healthy and fit, losing weight, enjoying life to the fullest, spending less, saving more, and spending more time with family and friends round out the top six resolutions for U.S. Consumers. 

Unfortunately, according to Time Magazine content.time.com, those top six resolutions also make the list of the most commonly broken New Year's Resolutions. These tried and true observations lead me to wonder what are the best strategies for focusing on keeping resolutions and how can I incorporate those strategies into my own lifestyle?

Jeanette Pavini, Coupons.com Consumer Savings Expert 10 tricks to help you actually keep your New Year's Resolutions, suggests that resolutions should be broken into small manageable goals. For example: Rather than making a resolution for staying healthy and fit, a more reasonable option maybe walk a mile per day and drink 5-8 glasses of water. If the goal is easier to keep, you'll be able to measure your progress along the way.  Pavini also suggests that the resolution should be about the journey not about the outcome (for example: sticking to a healthy diet is more important than a number on a scale).  

Another obstacle I frequently face is finding time for myself. When you are juggling two jobs and family life it is often difficult to find time to keep your resolutions. Pavini, suggests scheduling those times into your day, using a buddy system, stating your goals and keeping records. If you have a regularly scheduled lunch date to "walk with a co-worker," or you set aside a couple of nights per month for a "date night or girl's night out", then you are assigning importance to your goals. Suddenly they become a lot less lofty and a lot more concrete. Sharing your goals with other people and keeping track of your progress also keep your resolutions from looking like ideas on a pinterest board to looking more like clear, achievable objectives. So instead of making broad and lofty goals like losing weight, getting more exercise and looking better, I am going to narrow my goals. 

Resolution # 1: Drink more water
I am going to develop a clear and concrete plan for increasing my water intake from 1/2 cup per day (if you count the water I use to brush my teeth) to 8 glasses of water per day. I am not going to worry about whether they are 12 oz. bottles, or focus on the magic number of 64 ounces. I am simply going to work on refilling my cup when it's empty and avoiding sexier choices when I am going out to eat. 

Resolution#2: Walk two miles per day: 
It's time to make my tread mill function as something other than a high tech drying rack and reconnect with Jillian Michaels. I am also going to commit to using the walking track at school for thirty minutes after work on days when the weather is clear. 

Resolution #3:Wash my face every night
I admit it; sometimes I wake up wearing the previous day's makeup or on days I don't wear make up, I may just skip the skin cleansing routine entirely. This is probably one of the worst mistakes any aging school teacher can make when it comes to taking care of her complexion. Nothing ages the skin, like layers of oil and make up which clog pores, dull the complexion and accentuate fine lines and wrinkles. According to Dr. David R Weaver, futurederm.com physiological changes occur in the skin over night. Clinical evidence suggests that our bodies circadian clocks are related to the cell cycle and DNA repair. Our skin needs oxygen to repair itself. Sleeping in makeup deprives skin of oxygen and blocks the natural exfoliation process.  Cleansing your skin at night rids your skin of excess sebum, dead skin cells and pollution, so even if you don't wear make up, you still have a day's worth of pollution sitting on your face before going to bed. Therefore, I am committing to washing my face at night and using my  TimeWise Miracle Set for something other than just demos at my Mary Kay Parties.

Resolutions #1, and 2, will automatically help me jump start resolution #3. Drinking water will help me fight dehydration which leads to premature aging, fine lines, and a dull complexion, Walking will help me tone my body, increase my metabolism, give me more energy, boost my self esteem, washing my face twice per day will  help me to achieve a glowing complexion, increase my confidence and make me feel better about my overall appearance. My three resolutions may not be lofty but they are achievable, If we can all stick to small measurable objectives we can rise above the statistics and be some of the few who stick to their resolutions in 2016.

For more information on the TimeWise Miracle Set and other great Mary Kay Products. Check out my PWS at http://marykay.com/ssmith98853

Mary Kay offers a great selection of products such as the Time Wise Miracle Set, which offer 11 age defying benefits including:  cleansing, exfoliating, freshening, firming, energizing, hydrating, smoothing, renewing, softening, protecting and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Consumer studies show and 83% reduction in fine lines and wrinkles over time, 25% improvement in skin resilience, 100% improvement in softer more supple skin, and a 46% improvement in more even skin tone.