New Year’s Resolutions: How to Make Them A Bang Versus A Bust

Time to Turn Over a New Leaf?

Many of us make New Year’s resolutions every year, often to no avail. A 2002 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology followed subjects who had made a resolution. By the end of January, 36% of them had broken their resolutions. Half were still keeping their resolutions in March, but by July the success rate was 44%. Only 4% of the control group made progress.

Why Bother?

So why bother with resolutions if less than half of the people who make them keep them? The answer is in the odds of success: 44% of people who set New Year’s goals were successful versus only 4% of the people who did not set any goals at all. When it comes to achieving self-improvement goals, give me 44% over 4% any day!

Here are six great ideas for increasing your odds of sticking to your resolution this year:

#1 Set a very specific goal, but keep it simple and measurable. Examples include:

• I will lose 20 pounds at an average of one pound per week. 
• I will workout three times a week for 45 minutes.
• I will run a (half) marathon in the fall of 2013.

Shout It Out

Tell everyone you know what your goal is and when you plan to accomplish it. Putting your goals in a public arena will put some pressure on you to do what you say you will do. Go big or go home!

Don't Go It Alone - Get Support

Find someone to help hold you accountable. Not everyone has strong willpower, but it can be developed. Finding a person to help you achieve discipline will help. You do not have to go alone, create a support system.

For example, if your goal is to run a marathon, join a recreational or charity-oriented running group. Set up a time to meet up with people to do your runs. In between group runs, create running partners for the other two or three days a week, when you will need an extra kick in the pants to get you out there.

Join Weight Watchers or something like it; such programs work because the meetings are about accounting to both yourself and another person.
Hire a personal trainer for a month or two to get you started on a healthy workout regimen with the goal of graduating to group classes. 

Find friends and/or family who will act as cheerleaders to praise and acknowledge you for your accomplishments. Ask them to be supportive and to act as a champion for you during your successes and your failures. 

Prepare for Success and Failure

Prepare for lapses and setbacks. Plan your response to a bad week of exercising or a bad day of eating. Know how you will respond emotionally to a lapse and set up now how you will get yourself back on track.

Rewards Along the Way

Set yourself up with rewards along the way. Plan rewards and pats on the back that will incent you to keep moving forward. For example:

• A trip to a desirable location to run the marathon, such as Hawaii, San Diego or Vancouver. Most major cities have marathons.
• Buy new clothes as your weight loss takes you down a size or two.
• Periodic massages to get you through the painful days of exercise.

Good Luck

Best wishes to you as you jump into a healthier and happier 2013. If we can be of any assistance to you and your fitness goals, please give The Fuse Fitness staff a call at 510.558.8638.