New Year’s Resolutions

The idea of a new year’s resolution is a good one to have. It’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the previous year’s progress (or lack thereof). It’s a time to re-focus and determine what is important in our lives. How often have we made resolutions, however, that we end up neglecting a few weeks or months into the year? When done correctly and with accountability, setting a new year’s resolution can put you on the path to a successful year and even a new lifestyle.

Has your new years started something like this:

Week 1, I got this! We’re not quitting this year.
Week 2, This is tougher than I expected, but I’m sticking to it!
Week 3, There’s this new fad diet I could try that would be faster, maybe?
Week 4, “Alexa! Remind me to cancel my 30-day gym membership trial.”

Does any of that sound familiar? How long were you able to “stick with it” in last year’s resolution(s)?

Why do we quit something we believe is so important?

Simply put? Change is difficult. There’s a saying that goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same”. Have you found that to be true? You take on a new challenge only to give up halfway through? Perhaps you’ve taken on too many changes at once? Or the changes you’ve made aren’t changing you as fast as you’d like. Remember, you didn’t get to where you are now (the point of making a change) in one day. Your goals will not come overnight either. Truth is, staying “comfortable” is a lot easier than facing the pain of changes in your life. We rationalize our choice to give up too.

People give up on their resolutions & goals because they lacked planning & development.

There’s another great saying, “Fail to plan. Plan to fail”. When a person fails to plan or has a poorly constructed resolution, they tend to abandon their goals or have a lack of commitment to them. Establishing a resolution correctly leads to long-term “stick-to-itiveness” (yes, that’s a word!) and a greater likelihood of success.

What are some common problems and solutions? Resolution: Join a gym and eat healthier to lose weight!

A Problem: There is no WHY. It doesn’t have anything empowering, create a personal connection or motivation. Without a reason why it’s just a thought.
Solution: Address the why! Your reason why should motivate you to create pleasure or addresses a fear and/or source of pain.

Pleasure? Fear? Pain?!

These are powerful motivators. They can make one take action and more importantly, stay in action!

So, what are your reasons for going to the gym, eating healthier, and losing weight?

• You like movement. You’ve enjoyed exercising in the past but haven’t got back to it (pleasure)
• You’re looking for a community workout vs solo workouts in a typical gym (pleasure)
• Can’t fit into those favorite pair of jeans anymore (fear/pain)
• That recent selfie at a party left you feeling depressed about your weight (fear/pain)
• You’re uncomfortable in your own skin (fear/pain)
• Keeping up with the kids or grandkids is getting harder (fear/pain)
• You don’t feel sexy (fear/pain)

“I don’t feel sexy about my body” may be the reason to get you in the gym, but it’s likely not the reason to keep you at the gym day after day, month after month. You should dig deeper. Why does that matter to you?
“I don’t feel sexy and if I don’t think I’m sexy, others won’t either. I’ll end up alone.”

Whoa. That’s a real fear. That’s a really painful thought/emotion.

THAT is a reason for a resolution! A reason to take action today! It’s a motivator that can be used to stay in action. If you’ve made the choice to use it in that way.

This takes a lot of vulnerability on your part too. To assess those fears and face them. When you can face your fears, you can conquer them. Conquering one fear leads to conquering even more fears; bigger ones.

Another Problem: You’re not working on your resolution the S.M.A.R.T. way. You’ve addressed the why. You have a reason to go to the gym, eat healthily and lose weight. But you’re still not staying on track.
Solution: Clearly define the resolution and use the SMART goals method of staying accountable to your goals.

SMART is an acronym that you can use to guide your goal setting.

To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:

• Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
• Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
• Achievable (agreed, attainable).
• Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
• Time-bound (time-based, time-limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).

Remember, one of the most important parts of your New Year’s resolutions is defining them clearly and executing them properly. Find your why; the reason for the resolution. Define the pleasure you get, or the pain you feel from not having it, or the fear you have if it doesn’t happen.

Make your resolution SPECIFIC. Have a way to MEASURE your progress. Set your goals so they are ACHIEVABLE. Meaning, don’t try to lose 50lbs in a week! Your resolution should be RELEVANT to your reason. Lastly, keep your resolution or milestones within your resolution TIME-BOUND. I want to lose X amount of weight by X time (realistically). Once you’ve hit that milestone, move on to the next one until your goal is reached.