As we wrap up the holiday season full of family gatherings, traditions, and indulging in our favorite treats and head into the new year, many individuals are eager to start the new year off with a fresh mindset and the good old-fashioned list of New Year Resolutions.
Unfortunately for many, their resolutions are short-lived. According to U.S. News “some 80% of those resolution-ers are back home by the second week of February with a new kind of remorse staring back at them – the remorse of disappointment.” It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason to why a new year resolution may fail, but not to fear – we have 5 easy ways to keep yourself on track!
- Set Realistic Goals
Nothing can be more defeating than realizing your goal is unrealistic or unattainable. Setting realistic goals can come in many shapes and sizes, but knowing your starting point is important for deciding the perfect end goal and milestones that can be achieved along the way.
The first step in setting a realistic goal is to identify an optimal end goal. You want to be very specific! An end goal is something you continually work towards and can typically be achieved within a 6-month to 1-year period.
The second step is to set milestone goals. This will play a major role in achieving your long-term goal. Many New Year Resolutions are short-lived because many people feel like they are not making any progress, and this leads to giving up. Often big changes happen gradually over time and that might be hard to see as they are happening.
Milestones goals are a great way for an individual to stay on track! These smaller goals are set to be achieved every few weeks or once every few months. People are able to break down their end goal into more manageable sections.
Almost like a puzzle, putting one piece together at a time that down the road, leads to a full completed puzzle. Milestone goals are a great way for individuals to celebrate the small victories during the long process. Progress is then seen throughout the transformation and can bring the extra motivation one needs to keep going to reach their long-term goal!
Example:
End Goal: Lose 25 pounds by September 2020
Milestone goals:
- Month 1 – Cut out processed sugar, soda, and alcoholic beverages
- Month 3 – Make a healthy smoothie for breakfast at least 3x a week
- Month 5 – Make the gym a priority (3x a week)
- Month 7 – Hit my 20 pounds down mark
- Month 9 (September) – Evaluate my end goal and continue to create healthy habits and celebrate my achievement of 25 pounds lost
- Tell Someone
The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that you have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you just commit to someone. What does committing to someone look like?
Choose someone you TRUST, someone who will challenge you to be better, to encourage you to keep going when you feel like giving up. This person could be a friend, family member, a mentor, coach or trainer.
Being open and honest with yourself and your committee about your starting point, your realistic goal, milestones, and the challenges you may encounter during your journey will open the window of opportunity for you to reach your New Year Resolution.
And according to the same study,
Opening up to someone can be an intimidating task at first but committing and sharing your goal(s) with someone is a great way to increase your chances of success. Don’t stop there; set up accountability appointments (weekly/bi-weekly meetings) to ensure you’re staying on track with milestone goals and your overall end goal.
- Keep a Journal
Keeping a journal to track your progress during your New Year Resolution is a great tool to keep in arms reach.
Having a bad day and feeling frustrated? Write why! Feeling motivated and accomplished? Explain how you got there! This is a great way to document the challenges and successes you’ve felt during the goal achievement process – what went well, what you struggled with, how long it took you to achieve your milestones and the overall end goal.
This is also a great tool for tracking progress with your accountability partner. Carving out a few minutes each day will help you reflect on the day-to-day, week-to-week actions you’ve taken to reach your end goal and can provide insights to future goal setting.
- Transformation Photos
Alongside your journal, transformation photos are another useful way to indicate an individual’s success and overall progress. Whether you have a weight loss goal or not, documenting your journey has it benefits. For most, sharing transformation photos can be uncomfortable but the benefit of remembering WHY you started and WHERE you came from is incredibly important in times of trial, self-doubt, and future goal setting.
Documenting your journey will help inspire others who have similar goals to start their own journey. Inspiring others can also help motivate you to continue and be the best that you can be.
- Ask for Help
Surrounding yourself with a community/tribe of individuals who want to see you succeed will give you the motivation and drive to continue to strive for greater successes.
Never be afraid to ask your family, friends, coaches, and peers for help, for this can make a huge difference in your overall progress. Speaking of asking for help – have you ever thought about enlisting a personal trainer and/or joining a studio to jumpstart your journey?
If your answer is no, consider this: getting involved in a fitness program, joining a personal training studio, and seeking help from industry professionals is an amazing way to get started.
Finding a trustworthy coach made easy: Let’s talk about Eat The Frog Fitness. Trained professionals dedicated to helping you tackle your toughest challenges and give you the necessary tools to excel in your fitness journey!
Locations: https://www.eatthefrogfitness.com/default.aspx#locations
“To ask for help is not a sign of weakness, it is evidence of self-awareness, courage and strength.” -Unknown