How’s that New Year Resolution going?
As the new year begins and many of us have reflected on the year that was, some of us have started planning for the year ahead. The New Year’s resolution is a delightful promise we make to ourselves come January 1st. It’s like a friendly pact with ourselves, where we set goals to enhance our lives or embrace positive habits. Whether it’s committing to regular exercise, adopting a healthier diet, prioritizing self-care or even smiling more, it’s a cheerful tradition to kickstart positive changes in the upcoming year. However, it’s an all to familiar tale that starts with great enthusiasm but loses spark as the calendar pages turn.
In January, gym memberships increase by 10-15% and of these new memberships only 18% are seen to use the gym consistently – meaning 4 out of 5 January sign ups end up paying for no reason. Additionally, home exercise equipment sales also experience a substantial uptick of around 20%. It’s fair to presume that much of this equipment will follow a similar suit where a considerable portion will become nothing more than dust collectors.
Whatever your personal goals are, there are universal strategies that can help you towards achieving them. Here are some expert-backed tips to help you stay on track and turn your resolutions into long-term habits.
- Know Why. Set clear Goals. Create a plan.
- Prioritizing consistency over intensity
- Build compassion for yourself. Celebrate milestones. Expect hurdles. Forgive failures.
- Building a support system
- Know why. Set Clear goals and Create a plan:
Know why you want to achieve this goal. Knowing this fundamental value can be a mantra of sorts for when you need to push through harder times.
Create specific and achievable goals with easier stepping-stone goals along the way. Instead of broad sweeping goals like ‘exercise more’ or ‘eat healthier’, say ‘10min walk 3x/week’ or ‘add one extra serving of vegetables with every dinner meal’. When it comes to exercise, make sure to choose an exercise that you enjoy! The best exercise is the exercise that gets done so make it enjoyable.
Developing a structured plan can significantly increase your chances of success. Outline small actionable steps to reach your goals – weekly to monthly to overall goals. Sometimes the hardest part is knowing what the next step is. Having a roadmap also enhances accountability and provides guidance through potential obstacles.
- Prioritise consistency over intensity.
Instead of erratic, intense workouts and fluctuating dietary patterns, make small changes that can be continued without disrupting your already existing daily patterns. Changes that are easy to make are more likely to be continued. Once a habit is in routine it becomes easy.
- Build compassion for yourself. Celebrate milestones. Expect hurdles. Forgive failures.
Life is dynamic, and setbacks are inevitable. Understand that occasional slip-ups or disruptions to your routine are normal. Instead of beating yourself up, acknowledge the mistake then focus on the progress you’ve made. This is how having an overall plan helps to put hiccups into perspective. It doesn’t matter that you’ve put on an extra kilo because of the 5kg you’ve already lost. One mistake is acceptable, but caution needs to be taken when the same mistake is committed again – this is the beginning of a bad habit.
Reward yourself when you achieve even the smallest of goals. The reward should fit the magnitude of the goal – small rewards for small wins. By both accomplishing and acknowledging these smaller goals, your brain releases dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ and motivation hormone. This not only boosts your pride in your progress but also enhances your motivation to persist, creating a positive feedback loop that fuels your journey towards success.
- Build a support system.
Simply having someone in the loop about what you’re trying the achieve will help keep you stay motivated and on track. Someone who can steer you from temptation but also share the wins with you. Better still if they’re someone undertaking the same journey as you.
How we can help:
When it comes to your physical health, The team at Restore Movement can help you through these steps by:
- Setting realistic goals and developing a practical plan.
- Monitoring you through your journey and adjusting as necessary.
- Being your support system with the added benefit of having a knowledgeable base.
- Minimising the impact of setbacks to get you back on track asap.
Achieving any goal requires patience and perseverance. Everyone wants to be better but not many know how. This is by no means a conclusive list but it’s a starting point to put you on the right path and boost your chances of success.