Q&A Tuesday:
How to Become 20% of New Year’s Resolutions
Happy (belated) New Year and welcome back to our “Q&A Tuesday” series, where each week we take a question that we get asked all the time and share our expertise. This week we are not so much answering a question but addressing a common occurrence, now that New Year is upon us — New Year’s Resolutions.
Resolutions are big in the New Year and also a great opportunity to wipe the slate clean and embark on bettering an aspect of your life or incorporating a new skill or value. Not surprisingly, 45% of resolutions are focused on health and fitness. January brings a lot of new health and fitness vows – workout more, move more, eat less junk and more substance. It’s no wonder why we always see an uptick in business this time of year!
You may be wondering why we are talking about New Year’s Resolutions NOW? Maybe you’re thinking we are a little late to the party (no pun intended!). The fact is, 80% of resolutions FAIL by February…that’s right 8 out of 10 people will jump ship (if they haven’t already) on their new and shiny resolutions in the next few weeks.
The question is – why do most resolutions FAIL? Glad you asked! If you’ve made a resolution this year and have already abandoned it OR are teetering on the edge of throwing in the towel, this blog is for YOU.
3 Reasons (according it us) why 80% of Resolutions FAIL and how you can come out on the WINNING SIDE:
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TOO BIG. In our humble opinion, this is why the majority of resolutions don’t see February or even mid-January, they are just too darn BIG. It’s good to have goals and it’s great to have lofty goals. However, goals need to be realistic as well. Start small and build. This approach may not sound sexy but it works.
Want to run a marathon? Awesome! Never ran a mile before? Ekkk.
Want to complete a triathlon? Great! Never been on a bike before? Oh.
Want to become a vegan? Ok! Love meat, live for cheese and hate veggies? Ut-oh.
Want to lose a bunch of weight? Super! Not willing to work on your nutrition? Gulp.
The key to success here is setting yourself up for it..and it all starts with the proper goal. Big goals are awesome and achievable. However, little goals need to be met at first and they need to fit you and your lifestyle OR you need to be willing to make some big changes that are sustainable. The latter is much harder, so starting with smaller, more realistic goals is always a winner…
Want to run a marathon? Awesome! Start with a 5k.
Want to complete a triathlon? Great! Focus on learning to ride a bike.
Want to become a vegan? Ok! Re-evaluate why this is important to you and if there are other nutrition paths (ones that may be more enjoyable for you) to achieve a similar goal. If not, start by cutting out dairy (or meat) and see how you do with that…
Want to lose a bunch of weight? Super! Pick a fews ways that you can make small nutritional changes that also fit into your lifestyle in a sustainable way.
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YOU JUST DON’T WANT TO DO IT. Sounds silly, right? But think about this one for a minute…how many resolutions sound so terminal? Quit drinking beer. Stop eating sugar. Quit watching TV. Stop…quit…stop…quit. Sounds fun, right? Nope!
Not only are these goals opposite of your current behavior, making it harder to just go cold turkey, but if they don’t sound or seem like something you WANT to do or CAN do, then it’s not the right goal for you.
A better approach would be to try and focus on other positive activities by adding instead of subtracting. So instead of cutting out beer, try increasing other healthy beverages, while limiting yout beer intake. Instead of cutting out sugar, try increasing more fruits and veggies, while putting some limits on sugar intake. In other words, shift your focus.
It may seem like a more hippy-dippy approach, but trust us, it works 🙂
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NO FOLLOW THROUGH. Here comes the tough love. If your New Year’s goal isn’t too big and isn’t too terminal, then you have to ensure there is a follow through. You have to show up, put in the work and repeat. It won’t be easy (it never is), but it sure will be worth it when you start to see progress.
If you set a resolution this year and have already thrown in the towel, see if you can go back and tweak it a bit to something that will work for you. There’s no shame in adjusting and fine-tuning your goals.
At the end of the day, what’s worse – a goal that was never met OR a goal that ultimately didn’t work and was crafted into something smaller that DID work?
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Written by Sophie DeHenzel
How to Become 20% of New Year’s Resolutions
Photos courtesy of (top to bottom): Bigstock (Zatevakhin), Bigstock (S.Tiptanatoranin), Bigstock (Costello77), Bigstock (StanciuC)
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Hi, I’m Sophie. I’m Co-Owner of DeHenzel Training Systems, Precision Nutrition Level 2 Certified, Certified Personal Trainer and Pre/Post Natal Specialist. I’m also a wife, mom, tennis beginner and ice cream lover.
Most importantly, I love helping people just like you gain control of their health for good. If you’re tired, frustrated and still struggling to rein in your diet and get moving, check out our nutrition and personal training services and take the first step today.
About DeHenzel Training Systems: DeHenzel Training Systems offers In Home Personal Training services throughout Northern Virginia and Washington DC. Aside from in home, personal training is also available at the office gym or outdoors at a local park. We also offer Nutrition Coaching and Online Personal Training services worldwide.
Within Northern Virginia, we service Arlington, Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William Counties including: Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Fairfax, Falls Church, Gainesville, Great Falls, Haymarket, Herndon, Lansdowne, Leesburg, Lorton, McLean, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, Sterling, Tyson’s Corner, Vienna and Woodbridge. Don’t see your city listed? Contact us today to find out if we service your area!
