Let’s talk New Year’s resolutions, we all make them every year but how many of us fulfill that goal? One of the top categories for resolutions is health and fitness related. According to The U.S. News and World Report, nearly 80% of resolutions fail by February! Don’t you want to be in that 20%? Here are some of my tips to help you stay on track:
Make a Plan
You know the saying, “Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail!” If you have no direction on how you want to achieve your goal, you will most likely give up. After you decide on what your resolution is, figure out how you will achieve it. If you want to exercise more, what does that look like? Take out a sheet of paper and write it out! Writing out your intentions helps you to clarify what you want and you will be more likely to stick to them if they are written.
Set yourself up for success
Don’t set an unrealistic goal for yourself. If you make a resolution that is too hard to maintain, you will most likely give up. Let’s say you set the goal to exercise more, and you sign up for a gym. If you were not going in the first place, setting a goal to go 5 days a week will not be realistic for you! Start small. Set a goal to go once a week and maintain that day every week. Once you have made this a habit, add on until you can get to five days.
Tell Someone
Let your friends and family know your goals. We are in a social media world now, “If you didn’t post about it, it didn’t happen” right? I am not saying blast your resolution all over social media, but let someone know about it, ANYONE! Once your intentions are out in the universe, you are more likely to commit. The people you love want you to win and that encouragement will keep you accountable.
Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself
Drop that all-or-nothing mentality. If you slip up one day, don’t just give up. When I was competing in fitness competitions, I had to follow a strict diet. Sometimes when I would cheat on my diet I would say, “well I already messed up today, I am just going to eat whatever the rest!” I was self-sabotaging. I ended up feeling worse than I did after having one small slip. Luckily, I could pull myself out of it the next day and get back on track. Not everyone has that will power yet. If you mess up, do not sabotage yourself. Just get right back on track. One cheat will not make you gain weight, just as one salad won’t make you lose it.
Let’s get through this together. We can commit to our resolutions and keep each other accountable. Stay up to date with more on my commit series to help you get through your health and fitness goals. In the meantime, check out my Fit Foodie Finds, for inspiration!
Are you at a healthy body composition? Check out my BMI calculator here, and learn why body composition is important for your health.
Heather Fletcher is a lifestyle writer with 10 years of experience in health and wellness. She received her Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from The University of Pittsburgh. She enjoys everything fitness related and is a self-described foodie.
