New Year’s fitness resolutions: the topic that needs no introduction. We are on the countdown of full gyms of spirited people looking to make this their year. We are hopeful for every single one of them, but we know that it’s not going to go well for many. Over 40% of people are expected to give up on their resolutions before February!
Here is how not to end up a statistic.
My number 1:
Aim Small, Miss Small.
What are most people's fitness- and health-related New Year’s goals?
“Lose weight.”
“Go to the gym.”
“Eat healthier.”
“Lose XX lbs.”
These are extremely broad goals for someone who doesn’t have the skills and habits established to make them happen. Once the initial wave of motivation fades, you are left with goals that seem far out of reach. You are feeling unmotivated, and unequipped to get there.
Make your resolutions smaller and more specific, and habit-based vs outcome-based.
“I am going to exercise for 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week.”
“I am going to eliminate sugar-filled drinks and foods.”
“I am going to walk 8k steps every day 90% of the time.”
“I am going to cook the majority of my own meals.”
These goals or resolutions are initiatives that you can assess and focus on one day and one week at a time. It keeps your focus specific and narrow. You will get a sense of accomplishment every day instead of waiting for the broad accomplishment weeks and months down the road. The bigger benefit: these are habit-based accomplishments. Building habits is the most critical component in order to eventually realize the more monumental goal you really want.
Get Closer to Why This Is Important
This is true for most everyone all year long when it comes to accomplishing a fitness or health-related goal. The majority of people have some feelings of wanting to lose weight, improve their health, get stronger, build muscle…etc.
The problem is that the thought process behind the WHY only goes so deep. When the connection to the result doesn’t delve deeply into the reason sticking to a plan is truly important, the difficult actions required often overwhelm the reasons you are trying to do it.
Take these two scenarios:
- The most common:
- “I want to lose weight.”
- Initial motivation is very high, you train consistently for 3-4 weeks, and eat pretty well.
- The motivation begins to wane.
- Inner conflict begins to sabotage continuing the daily acts of training consistently, and improving your nutrition.
- These difficulties begin to win out more and more in the pull to regain the “comfort” of daily life.
- “I want to lose weight” feels far less important and doable at this time.
- You completely revert back to your old habits.
- Thinking deeper:
- “I want to lose weight.”
- “I want to lose weight because I am unhappy with how I look and feel.”
- “How I look and feel makes me feel embarrassed and often sad.”
- “All my life I have compared myself to others and felt inadequate.”
- “When I was in middle school and high school, I was teased and made fun of because of my weight.”
- “I don’t want to go on vacation with my family because I am embarrassed to wear a bathing suit.”
This whole process begins even before you start taking action. Not only will this ramp up your initial motivation to begin, but it also will improve your resolve when that initial motivation begins to dissipate. When these new daily actions become uncomfortable, it will be far more difficult to revert, as you have deeply identified why accomplishing your resolution is incredibly important to you and worth the discomfort to continue.
We want to see you succeed this year. Don’t go it alone. Whether you are here in Austin or elsewhere in the world, we have world-class coaches at the ready to see you succeed.
Book a Free Strategy Session today!
