New years Resolutions

How you can actually keep them.

Each time the end of the year rolls around, we often start to think about the things we want to achieve. Most notably, many people will look at a New Year’s Resolution. To start the year off we will often have a clear picture of what our life will look like when we achieve this goal and be excited and committed to this change. And we will start the year with a strong belief that this ultimate change within our life that will begin on the 1st of January and continue from then on out.

But this isn’t the case….most of the time. I myself have had countless New Years Resolutions that have been lucky to make to the end of January, whether that be completing a Triathlon by the end of the year, to even just sticking to my own personal gym program. I still struggle to make these last longer than a few months. Lifestyle changes are tough to achieve (even when your work is heavily based around this). They take a boatload of commitment and drive to do them on your own.

Forbes Magazine found in 2023 on average, new years resolutions only last two to three months. To me this makes a lot of sense. At the start of the year, we are feeling energised and ready for a new year after a restful break through summer. It’s a time of the year where we have reflected on the previous one and develop an idea of where we want to be and what we want to achieve. ​

Fast-forward to February and March, and we are all back into the swing of our usual day-to-day life. Work has started back and school has returned. We are busy again. These new habits we have been doing so well at maintaining start to get harder, as older more familiar habits begin to creep back in. Time constraints become a bigger and bigger factor. And we can start to feel frustrated that we are struggling to keep to our resolution and thoughts like, “I over committed myself”, or “maybe I aimed too high” or “maybe this is not the year for that change” start creeping in.

Sound familiar?
Now imagine how different this could be with a coach. Someone to help you break down the steps required to make your resolution achievable. Having another person to help keep you accountable, boost your motivation when it lags and help break down the barriers that creep up along the way. This is where we can help. As Exercise Physiologists we refer to this process as lifestyle and behaviour change and it is a big part of what we do. The truth is anyone can give you an exercise program, I’m sure you can even ask Chat GPT to write you one. It is the finer details, the how, why and when that are specific to you and everything that is going on in your world that makes the difference.

When it comes to new years resolutions around health and fitness, constant progression is not required. There will be times of maintenance, there always is, but it feels better when you know it is part of the plan, not that you are letting yourself down. Yes, your ultimate goal might be to get stronger, get fitter, move freer or be in less pain. If you measure this goal on a daily basis you can lose sight of the big picture where progress is genuinely being made.

We can often fall into a trap of missing one or two weeks of training, then never returning. This may be from being ill, getting busy or even better, having a holiday. Whatever the cause, it is a disruption from the new routine and can make it hard to get started again. Instead of falling back into old comfortable habits, you can make that next appointment after your holiday or work with us to learn how best to ease you way back in when you’ve been unwell.
​Ultimately our goal is always to support you on your journey and that comes in various forms, whether that be breaking down a resolution into achievable steps, or simply modifying an exercise to better suit your body. Together we are more accountable and able to maintain the consistency required to see your resolution through well beyond the first few months.

Take that first step in holding yourself accountable and book your next appointment now. Let us help you to make your new years resolution a reality.

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