Make a Change
"It's a new year, and I need to make over every aspect of my life." Sound familiar? Take a deep breath. Experts say that focusing on a single goal can keep you from getting overwhelmed. And once you've tackled one, you'll feel motivated to keep the improvements going. Need proof? We asked eight women to spend a month adopting a healthy behavior. Their success is evidence that starting small is the best way to see big results.
Goal: Stick to One Sweet Treat a Day
The tester: Alissa Rotberg, 26
"I'm the kind of girl who always hits the candy bowl before meetings or skips lunch and eats a cupcake instead," Alissa says. "But when I go overboard on sweets, I hit a slump later."
The outcome: Alissa kept a written log of what she ate. "I also told everyone what I was doing so they could call me out if they saw me having more than one treat," she says. "At first I had my sweet right after lunch, but then later in the day I'd be tempted by something and feel disappointed that I had already indulged," she says. "So as the month went on, I began saving dessert until after dinner."
"Though my one treat was occasionally a big handful of cookies, I stuck to the plan most of the time. Some days I didn't have anything sweet at all, which was a first for me." By the end of the month, Alissa had lost a few pounds and felt more energized in the afternoon. "The best part was that I stopped craving sweets as much," she says.
Try it: "You can still snack on something sweet, but make sure it contains at least three grams of fiber and pair it with protein," says Susan Mitchell, PhD, a coauthor of Fat Is Not Your Fate. Those nutrients fill you up and deliver steady energy so your blood sugar doesn't seesaw. Mitchell's favorite combos: a hard-boiled egg and a pear, string cheese and a banana, and nuts and dried fruit.
Goal: Stop Checking Facebook Compulsively
The tester: Kelly Kapron, 32
"Facebook always made me feel as if I wasn't achieving as much, going on as many vacations, or hitting the same milestones as my friends," Kelly says. "Yet I was logging on six times a day."
The outcome: After typing See you next month! as a status, Kelly worried that she was missing out, especially when people would tag photos of her. "But for the most part, I stopped thinking about it and started spending more time on home-improvement projects and other activities that make me feel good about my life," she says. "And without the distraction of a news feed, I could concentrate at work."
When Kelly signed back on at the end of the month, she was curious to see what she had missed. "Absolutely nothing important!" she says. "Now I check Facebook every few days, but most of the time I would rather focus on what's happening in real life."
Try it: "If going cold turkey makes you anxious, slowly extend the time between log-ins until you're checking only once or twice a day," suggests Larry Rosen, PhD, a professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Goal: Track All Expenses
The tester: Sarah Anderson, 44
"I know what my fixed expenses are, but I have no idea what I spend on all the little things, like dinners out and new clothes," Sarah says. "And my boyfriend just moved in with me and is looking for a job, so we're living on one income."
The outcome: Sarah started saving receipts and inputting the amounts into a spreadsheet at the end of each day, organizing her spending by category. "I didn't want to have to input receipts for every coffee or manicure, so I began to cut back," she says.
This challenge also helped Sarah realize how good she was at rationalizing bigger purchases. "I would tell myself that I deserved new shoes because I work hard, or that I would never find a cuter top." She came up with a novel solution for her splurges. "I started keeping my purchases in the bag with the tags on them for a full day and reconsidering them after the high had worn off," she says.
Try it: "Use an app like Spendee or Mint to make tracking your expenses easy," says Manisha Thakor, a personal finance expert and the founder of MoneyZen.com. "Once you've tallied a month's worth, see if they follow a classic 50-30-20 breakdown. Fifty percent of your take-home pay should go to needs, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings," she says. "If yours don't, make adjustments the next month."
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