Congratulations, we are already almost 4 weeks in to January, with only about 30 more weeks of this month to go…yay Minnesota winter.
That being said, did you make a New Year’s Resolution this year? If so, you are not alone. Many people use January 1st as a start date to reset diet and exercise plans.
According to Google, 3 of the 4 top resolutions each year are eat healthier, get more exercise, and focus more on self-care aka get more sleep. Unfortunately, by February, 81-92% of these resolutions have already failed.
Why is it that so many people have such grand intentions of getting healthier each year but quickly fall back in to old patterns?
I am not a psychologist, but in my opinion, it comes down to the enormity of these resolutions.
Often times, we go to the extreme when it comes to these popular resolutions and set ourselves up for failure. If you are in the group that may already have broken their resolutions…it’s okay, and I’m here to tell you that you did not fail.
It’s time to change our mindsets from huge, seemingly unreachable goals to small, manageable habit changes that will pay off big time over the year.
Let’s break down the first big resolution…eat healthier and lose weight.
This resolution always tops the list each year. I also have had a period in my life when I frequently made this resolution (then I found CrossFit, but that’s another story) and almost always fell back in to old habits by the end of the January.
There is no problem with wanting to lose weight or eat healthier, but I have found with resolutions it is often taken to the extreme.
As an example, current trends and fad diets have people restricting food consumption or completely eliminating a food group(s) in hopes of losing weight (Low Carb and Keto diets). These diets leave people cranky and hungry by week 3 or 4, making it difficult to stay consistent with the resolutions.
I am proposing switching out these extreme diets or lofty goals for healthy and manageable habits. If your goal is weight loss or to eat better, try setting a new smaller goal each week. For example, Week one eliminate process foods. Weeks two while continuing avoid processed foods, also add a vegetable to each meal. The next goal for week three maybe hitting your daily protein target, and these small changes continue to build on each other. Creating small goals will make them achievable and allow you to form some great nutritional habits that will create lasting and sustainable change.
The next resolution that is always high on the list, get more exercise.
As we start to get near January, we are bombarded with adds for new exercise equipment, zero enrollment gym memberships, and every infomercial designed to get you a 6 pack fast.
I used to work at a globo-gym as a personal trainer, there were countless new members in the first week of January that came through the door with the intent to workout 6-7 days a week… after 3 weeks very few remained. Most of these people fall short of their goals and then quit or lose heart but let’s break this resolution down further to look at why.
First, our bodies need to transition into the increased work load or the new soreness and fatigue are viewed as a negative .
Second, life often times won’t allow the 6-7 days, kids sporting events, you work late, or want to spend time at home with your loved ones. Majority of humans just need to move more, we don’t need 6-7 days of intense exercise.
Here is where forming small, healthy habits come in.
Make it a goal to get 8,000-10,000 steps in a day. If you work at a desk, that may mean getting up every hour to walk, or going for a walk when you get home. Park farther away at stores or work, you may roll your eyes at this one, but that’s a great way getting a lot of my steps in. On top of the steps each day, if going to the gym is not in your regular routine try to make it a part of yours. Find a gym or workout routine that you love. There is not one form of exercise that is right or wrong, whatever you find enjoyment in, chose that. Set a manageable goal, if two days a week is doable, do that. Once you are consistent on two days, build to three…and keep going until it becomes normal and a habit has been formed.
Overall, we just need to move more, exercise doesn’t have to be intense every day. Find ways to incorporate movement in each day, form some healthy habits, and meet your goals.
New years resolutions are hard to keep up because we tend to make large, daunting goals to start the year. If you are someone who set some resolutions this year and feel like you are struggling, it is not too late to implement some of these ideas.
Making smaller, weekly goals will help all of us form healthy habits that we can maintain the entire year…and beyond. Happy New Year!!