The Votes Are In!
2023 Readers' Choice is back, bigger and better than ever!
View Winners → 
Skyrocket Your New Year’s Resolution Success Rate
Arcadia Weekly Jan 17, 2019
Goals are only as strong as the commitment that supports them. – Courtesy photo
by
share with
https://www.facebook.com/GimmeFit/videos/1141841802690345/
By Yajen Tan
You probably made resolutions to start New Year’s off on the right foot.
To start eating better, to show up to the gym, or maybe just to stop waking up late in the mornings.
You set those resolution because you wanted to change. Sadly, those resolutions probably won’t take you far.
You might’ve heard this before, but 80% of resolutions usually fail by February.
Yeah, 80%…
Regardless of how credible that statistic is, there’s a good amount of truth to that claim. Many people have a tough time following through on their goals.
But why?
I’m sure that every resolution seeker out there wants to achieve their resolutions. But it often takes a lot more than desire to achieve large, and sometimes overwhelming, goals.
Here are the 3 most common reasons why people fail to achieve their resolutions.
1. Failure to actually want it
What? Let me explain.
There’s a lot of things we might want. A hot cup of cocoa on a chilly day, a Ferrari that matches our beach house out in Malibu, or maybe it’s to be laying in bed writing about how people should act to achieve their resolutions…
All jokes aside, it’s easy to dream big. But it’s not so easy to put in all the work, attention, and commitment that it requires to achieve big goals.
That means that some people might dream of reaching a goal that they’re not completely invested into.
So take a step back and ask yourself – are you willing to put in the commitment to achieve that goal? If your answer is yes, please move on the section 2.
If your answer is no, then great! You just saved yourself a ton of potentially wasted time and effort.
By the way, if your answer is no now, it doesn’t mean it’ll always be no, so remember to revisit this article next year when you change your mind!
2. Failure to plan it out
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” – Benjamin Franklin
Planning is of huge importance. Without a plan in place, you won’t know whether your efforts are actually taking you towards the right direction.
Even the most basic plan can help give you direction.
A simple way of planning out resolutions is by using SMART goals. That stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
How do you do that? Let’s break it down.
Specific. You want to know exactly what you’re trying to achieve. The goal of “weight loss” is super general, but “dropping 15 pounds of body fat and reducing my waistline by 8 inches” is a very well-defined goal.
Measurable. Know what metrics are important to track. When it comes to weight loss, I always track my clients by metrics that I use alongside the modified YMCA method (a body fat percentage equation.
For men, those variables include body weight (in pounds) and waist circumference (in inches) aligned with the belly button.
For women, I use the same body weight and waist circumference, but I also add in wrist circumference, forearm circumference, and hip circumference at the widest point.
Those are the points that you’ll see noticeable changes in for each sex.
Attainable. Is it possible for you to achieve your goal?
Not to be a buzzkill, but trying to drop 10 pounds, in one single week, will lead you down some pretty unpleasant paths. Instead, break your goal apart and be reasonable with what you’re trying to achieve and the resources that you’ve got on hand.
Note, this is not an excuse to under-perform. You can be just as great while setting reasonable goals.
Relevant. If your goal is important to you and it actually matters, then yes it’s relevant. If not, you probably stopped reading at point 1 already.
Time-bound. This is where the positive pressure comes in. Without time-boundaries, goals are just goals. By setting a time of completion, you give yourself that friendly nudge to stick to the plan all the way through.
3. Failure to acknowledge what it takes
Believe it or not, success is not easy. It’s rewarding, but it’s definitely not easy.
Here’s a quick little list of a couple things that you’ll have to attend to (if you plan on meeting your weight loss goals this year):
- proper diet and nutrition on a regular basis
- consistently showing up and pushing yourself during workouts
- managing stress levels that might impact your fitness, nutrition, or wellness
- avoiding environments that don’t encourage behaviors aligned with your goals
Are you willing to make the sacrifices that it’ll take in order for you to reach those goals? Before you get disappointed by my list, understand that the benefits are even more awesome than the “sacrifices”.
Benefits of making positive changes in your diet and fitness:
- elevated confidence
- higher energy levels
- healthier
- happier
- stronger
- and so much more!
So…
Now that you’ve set your resolutions for 2019, take a step back and hash out a game plan that will allow you to meet those great expectations and come out better than ever before!
Comment below and let me know what big goals you’ve got planned for 2019!
