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Grand Promises of New Year’s Resolutions – What’s Wrong with You?
As easy as it is to make New Year’s resolutions in the excitement of the midnight toast, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep them as time goes by. According to a survey by U.S. News, 80% of people break their promises by the second week of February, which, let’s face it, isn’t a very encouraging statistic.
Since it can take 2-8 months to adopt a new habit or behavior (depending on the situation), short-lived New Year’s resolutions unfortunately aren’t capable of bringing about change in your life. But what lies behind this lack of success? In our first blog post of 2021, we’re delving into this topic. Join us!
1. The Biggest Pitfall of New Year’s Resolutions: Unrealistic Goal Setting
You might agree (and have experience with this 😉) that the most common New Year’s resolutions include losing weight, exercising regularly, and adopting healthier eating habits. It’s great if you can set specific goals for yourself, but you also need to ensure that these goals are realistic. Want to lose 20 kilos in a month? Planning to buy a gym membership but haven’t moved from the couch in years? Planning to cut out carbs even though you’ve lived on pastries every day?
Set goals that you can realistically achieve within a given timeframe, considering your starting point and capabilities. You’ll only end up disappointing yourself if you aim too high and realize that the promises you made in the euphoria of New Year’s Eve are impossible to keep. By taking small steps and setting sub-goals, your successes will motivate you to keep going on the path set by your New Year’s resolutions.
2. No Plans, No Results
Many people make the mistake of not planning how to achieve their resolutions. Let’s say you want to lose weight. HOW do you plan to achieve this?
Think about the following:
- How much exercise is needed to achieve your desired goal?
- Can you determine the ideal workout plan on your own, or do you need a professional’s help?
- How much time can you dedicate to exercise?
- What about your diet? What do you need to cut out or incorporate to become healthier?
- Can you prepare the diet-friendly meals required to support your goals?
- What will all this cost you?
…and the list could go on. 😊
3. No Measurement, No Follow-Up
How do you know if you’re on the right track if you don’t track your progress? It’s important to monitor your progress daily, as this will help you stay committed to your goal. Using the example of weight loss again: if you don’t want to jot things down manually, consider downloading some apps to help measure and analyze your data. Your smartphone, which you likely always have with you, can be used to log your food and water intake and track your weekly workout plan.
Seeing your progress, whether in a notebook or in an app, will make it harder for you to break your promise and discard all the progress you’ve made.
+1. Lack of Support
Don’t try to do everything on your own! It’s never shameful to ask for help from your family or friends, as they are the ones who will support you in all circumstances. Want to fit in an hour-long workout before school? Your mom will probably be happy to help you prepare a nutritious and healthy breakfast while you exercise, so you don’t have to worry about it. Motivated by having a running partner? Ask a friend to join you once or twice a week – regular exercise will bring positive changes to their life too.
