Whether you’re trying to get healthier, increase your productivity at work, or learn a new skill, the new year is likely motivating you to make a change. Perhaps it’s a reminder of the all-too-familiar annual cycle of making and breaking resolutions.
We’re terrible at keeping our New Year’s resolutions, as the majority of us give up before we’ve even taken down the holiday decorations. When we have vision boards on our walls and goals that we set mentally that haunt us throughout the year, we tend to lose sight of how exciting and important they were when we set them. If you’re determined to keep your resolutions in 2023, keep reading.
What you need before you commit yourself to one
Know your WHY
Setting a fitness goal isn’t enough. To be effective, you must first determine why this goal is so important to you. When we focus on the why, we can tap into our motivation to keep moving toward the goal.
Realistic Goals
Expecting yourself to live a completely different life overnight is unrealistic. However, you can make small, consistent changes that will add up to make a difference in your health.
You can, for example, set a goal to walk after dinner every night or to consume your five servings of fruit each day. Once you’ve established those habits, you can incorporate a gym workout into your routine, focus on eliminating sweets, and so on.
Specific goals
Once you’ve determined your why or purpose, zero in on the details to get it done. That’s where S.M.A.R.T.—specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based—goals come in.
S.M.A.R.T goals are:
Specific – Make your resolution as clear as possible. Going to the gym three times a week, for example, it is preferable to be healthy. While “being healthy” is a good thing, the phrase can be interpreted in a variety of ways.
Measurable – If at all possible, quantify your goal, such as “I will run 5 km by June.”
Attainable – Choose a goal that is within your grasp but still challenging. Running the entire marathon this year would be incredible, but it would almost certainly be difficult and if we are being honest impossible. Running a 5K fun run, on the other hand, is doable.
Relevant – Keep it relevant to your priorities and goals.
Time-sensitive – Set a time limit for yourself to achieve a goal. A deadline will instil urgency and provide an opportunity to celebrate your success.
Write it all down/Keep track of your progress
While it’s great to have goals, it is critical to document them in some way. Here are three reasons to write down your goals:
Writing establishes intention, but action is required to achieve your goal. Having a written record of your objectives serves as a constant reminder to take action.
Goals that are written down will help you overcome resistance to progress. We set goals to help us progress, but there is a natural resistance to change. When you encounter a speed bump or an obstacle, your written goals will propel you forward.
Written goals serve as a reminder of how far you’ve come and what you’ve accomplished. It’s a satisfying feeling to look back at the end of next year and see that your resolution has been fulfilled.
Start Where You Are with What you have
There are numerous movements – and fitness-based goals that can truly get you to that end result if you are consistent, such as running your first 5k, Hiking trail in a new personal record time, or increasing your push-up by five more reps.
The catch trick is that you have to coach yourself while aware of your current level, not your desired level. To put it another way, you don’t have to train like everyone else in order to run your fastest marathon – or even like the person your follow on Instagram.
Simply push your own pace and mileage while concentrating on what you can do and how you can improve.
Accountability
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
It’s great to make a resolution for yourself and perhaps even write it down, but if no one else is aware of it, it’s easy to forget or even ignore. Nobody will notice or care if you don’t achieve it.
So, tell a friend or family member about your resolutions for the new year so they can hold you accountable.
As strange as it may sound, guilt is often more powerful than self-motivation. As a result, when you succeed, the people you shared it with will celebrate with you!
What I wish I was told before committing myself to a long term gym contract as a beginner :
- When you see advertisements for a discounted membership in January, it is especially easy to sign up even if you have no idea what your exercise goals are. This is not a recipe for long-term success, and you may lose interest by the first week of February. You should only join a gym if it is something you truly want to do, rather than something you feel obligated to do.
- Begin with what you have; if you’ve never been to the gym and your goal is to be healthier, start with a walk, home workouts, and so on, because the gym can be intimidating if you haven’t covered the fundamentals of movement.
- Visit different gyms before committing to one for a year; most gyms offer a week-long or 30-day trial, so find one that fits your budget, has a flexible contract agreement, and, most importantly, has a community that feels like home.
- Be patient and kind to yourself, and check in with yourself, which is why being reflective and intentional, as well as willing to change and adapt your goals, is essential.
