2016 is so last year. And sadly, blaming it on the holidays, you’ve gotten fat. Ok, a little thicker. You gained weight from excess calorie consumption during gatherings with friends and family and now you want your old self back. So you promise to make 2017 your year. That if you were always on the heavy side, you’d exercise and eat properly to lose weight. Or if you just recently put on a few kilos, you swear to shed them off as quickly as you gained them. Enter your New Year’s fitness resolutions.
How are they now? Have you kept yours?
Chances are you haven’t been to the gym or exercised as frequently as you imagined and you haven’t controlled your diet either. Why is that? Why do fitness resolutions usually fail? Here are our top three reasons and what you can do to make them work:
1. You bite off more than you can chew
No, I don’t mean literally, although, there’s an argument for that too. If your New Year’s resolution involves you hitting the gym six times a week starting in January when you’re only used to training for 2 in December, then you’ve already set yourself up to fail. It’s good to be idealistic and have goals of doing more but they must be realistic goals. Fitness resolutions that require drastic changes demand an overhaul in your lifestyle. You couldn’t handle training three times last December, what makes you think you can do six this January? This isn’t to say it can’t be done, many have. It’s more about being realistic with your capabilities. Because, if not, frustration will eventually set in and you will decide to just drop it.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Break it down into small achievable goals. You can’t be too fast, too furious, unless your name is Vin Diesel. Ease into the transition. An example of that would be to workout three to four times a week in January, four to five times in February and, finally, achieving your goal in March with six times a week. This method of taking it slow and steady, especially if you’re trying to level up, can be applied to almost any New Year’s resolution.
2. You’re not that motivated like you were before
Have you ever felt excited about doing something, like entering an obstacle race upon announcement, and then finally backing out as the event nears? You’re not alone, I know a few friends… you should meet! Anyway, sometimes motivation strikes us like lightning and all of a sudden we’re eager to give it a go. A few days pass and you’re left wondering where all that enthusiasm went. Depending on several factors, your mood changes and so does your commitment. When this happens, you’re likely to slip back into your comfort zone and not give a damn.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Hit the reset button. Ask yourself again what made you decide to come up with your resolution. Keep that reason in mind and don’t overthink. If you overthink, you get distracted and you’ll find excuses to do other things instead. This means you have to focus because it’s THAT motivation that can get you started. That’s the difficult part, isn’t it? Getting started. Easier said than done, but you CAN do it.
3. You simply lack willpower
You’ve got the plan. You’ve sorted out the details in your head. Everything is ready. Except there’s no follow through. You don’t execute! Excuse after excuse, you can’t be bothered to get off your bed or the couch. Listen, your vegetables aren’t going to cook themselves and your new running shoes aren’t going to burn calories for you. So are you all talk and no walk? We’re not here to baby you, so shame on you.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Just quit, you’re hopeless… I’m obviously kidding. The good news is, you are halfway there. It’s just a matter now of getting your bum up to actually realise your plans. So try this, if you can’t do it for yourself, do it for a family member, a friend, your cat. Place a bet with someone if you have to! Whatever. Have someone or something that you’ll be accountable to. People’s expectations of you will push you. Except your cat… he probably doesn’t care… Alright, so this way, you’ll feel a sense of urgency. There’s added pressure on you to perform, and gravity on your actions. People can fail themselves but they’ll try their hardest not to fail others.
