We all did it; we all made those New Year’s resolutions with some of us promising to lose weight or to exercise more. But how many of us are sticking to them? A survey of 1000 Australians found that 69 per cent of us make at least one New Year’s resolution to improve something about ourselves with only one quarter will of us actually succeeding. So where are we going wrong?
Research suggests there are 10 fatal flaws to setting New Year’s resolutions:
- no planning,
- vague resolutions,
- no emotional connection to the resolution,
- no real belief that we will achieve out resolution,
- stating our resolutions in the negative,
- no accountability,
- goals are written as something we are going to do, not what we are doing,
- goals are often unrealistic,
- we do not write a completion date, so our goals seem endless,
- no rewards for our achievements as we reach each small milestone.?
So what now? If you’ve broken your resolutions already, how can you start again to achieve it?
Here are five fitness resolutions you can keep, thus breaking the never ending cycle.
1. Find a fitness buddy
Some of us like to work out on our own, but some of us accomplish more when we are in a team environment. If that is you then going to a class on your own is often un-motivating, boring and can lead to you losing interest in your fitness foals.
To conquer this find a friend who has similar fitness goals as you do and go with them. Finding a fitness pal that will encourage you along the way, and someone you can encourage will help you on your journey and ensure a few laughs along the way.
2. Order salad instead of fries
In those two minutes you’re ordering your food and the wait staff asks “chips or salad?” make a conscious effort to say no chips. Once that order is in, you are already taking away temptation to eat those empty calories.
3. Be adventurous with your style of exercise
A great fitness resolution is to promise yourself that you’ll try something new. Sometimes it’s nice to get yourself out of the air conditioned comfort and take a hike somewhere or run along the beach. Better yet, try something completely out of your comfort zone and get the adrenalin pumping with some trapeze flying or rock climbing.
You could also try: Pole Dancing, Hot Yoga, Boxing, Stair climbs, Reformer Pilates, Trampolining.
4. Saturday mornings at the farmers markets
Stop resorting to the pre-packaged meals in the frozen food aisle and turn your Saturday mornings into a nice outing to the local farmers market. Grab yourself a fresh juice and open up your world to affordable and fresh produce. You’ll no only notice the benefits to your energy levels and health, but your bank balance too.
5. Commit to one PT session a week
If you’re struggling to muster motivation, try committing to one personal training session a week. By having someone hold you accountable for your fitness goals might be the extra push you need.
Remember, you can’t climb a mountain in one hour so why expect to be a fitness pro after one session. A personal trainer can help you set realistic goals and provide you the guidance to keep you on track.
So what are you waiting for? Start now.
Life isn’t easy and sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture. Learning to deal with all the setbacks life throws as us and dealing with our own personal failures is pivotal to ultimately finding the strength and motivation to conquer our goals.
If you’re ready to give your New Year’s resolution another go then get in touch with one of our exercise physiologists who are more than happy to help you break the cycle and get you on track to achieving your New Year’s resolutions.