New Year’s Resolutions

If you’re like most people on the planet, you have made new year’s resolutions in the past. Chances are that, like most people again, these goals have failed. Here are some tips to help you stick with your new year’s resolutions.

1. Your goals must be specific. Have you ever said “I want to lose weight” or “I want to run faster”? That is not specific. How much weight do you want to lose? How fast do you want to run? Focusing on the specific goal has proven to be more successful than just generalising.

2. Your goals should be realistic. Saying you want to look like a male model is not realistic for most people, but saying you will include physical activity in your daily life or you will run every day is realistic.

3. Your goals should be measurable. How many pounds do you want to lose per week? How many miles do you want to run per week? How heavy a weight do you want to lift?

4. There should be a time frame on your goals. This helps you focus a lot more and not procrastinate. If you want to break 5 minutes for a mile, when do you want to do it? If you want to lose a stone, how soon do you realistically want to lose that stone?

5. Avoid making resolutions that you have failed at in the past. If it is the same plan, alter it slightly. For example, instead of saying you want to lose a stone in 8 weeks, focus on planning to exercise every day and eat healthier.

6. Make short term goals which lead to the big goal. Break down your goals into small parts so that they are more manageable.

7. Be patient and give it time. It has been said that it takes 21 days for a habit to form and up to 6 months for it to become a lifestyle change.

8. Write your goals down and diary everything. It has been proven that this reinforces your goals so that they become more attainable.

9. Plan for bumps in the road. Things will definitely never always go to plan. People get sick, people travel, people get distracted by things at home, at work and others around them. What will you do when this happens? Write down what you will do when you have a bad day and plan for the days when you don’t stick to your exercise plan or diet. You should know how you will handle a situation so when it arises, so have a plan B!

10. Don’t go it alone!!! Seek help from a personal trainer, nutritionist, fitness professional etc. Asking for help is not a cop out. Studies have shown that having the assistance of a trained professional can greatly improve success rates when it comes to goal setting.