Before you make another New Year’s resolution, read on…
Want to know how to make it stick this time? We’re sharing the best tips to ensure the long-term realization of your New Year resolutions this holiday season.
Let’s start by asking some critical questions.
How many New Year resolutions have you made? Why are you making them? Is it for your own desires, meaning because YOU want to, or the product of societal pressures?
Trust us, there is a point to ALL these questions…
Knowing your personal answers to them is the KEY to achieving and sticking to your new year's resolutions, possibly for the first time in many years. When you take the time to reflect on your goals, not only can it aid in personal growth but doing so can also strengthen your resolve, ensuring the warrior in you comes out on top for the new year!
This is especially true for health and wellness, a common goal post-holiday season. When you follow the proper steps, you’re able to establish resolutions that are maintainable, sustainable, and offer achievements all year long!
It’s time to end the “make it then break it” cycle!
Establish The "Why" Behind Your New Year Resolutions
Establishing your “why”, or the reasoning behind your new year resolution(s), is possibly the most important aspect of maintaining them. This also involves picking a MEANINGFUL resolution. Create one that matters to you and sits close to your heart, not one that you feel pressured to choose because of other people's opinions. This is especially crucial for any fat loss or fitness goals as it allows you to deal with temptations or challenges more effectively.
If you’re feeling unmotivated to muster the energy for a workout or prepare a healthy meal, look to your “why.” Reminding yourself of the point or personal reasoning behind your workout can strengthen your resolve and make you more likely to succeed every day!
Short-term And Measurable
One of the most important keys to sticking with your New Year Resolution is to create short-term and measurable goals. This means setting yourself up for success by establishing objectives that are smaller-scaled, attainable, and quantifiable so you can mark your progress.
If you set a goal that's too extreme, such as running for an hour each day, you may be biting off more than you can chew, which can quickly lead to failure. However, if you keep it short and sweet, such as working out for only 30 minutes most days of the week (as our hundreds of thousands of clients do), your chances of success are much higher. This creates feelings of encouragement and even excitement to keep yourself going for the next week or the next day! Even better, when your new year resolutions or goals are measurable, it helps you to gauge your progress. This can give you an idea of what your success looks like along the way
Beyond establishing short-term and measurable goals, another crucial part to ensuring your success is being honest with yourself so you can set the RIGHT goal(s). What does that mean? It means being realistic with your resolutions based on the resources and time available to you. If you set the bar too high, establishing those only possible or feasible in an ideal world, then you make them unattainable and are more likely to quit them early.
Create A New Year Resolutions Action Plan
Establishing an “action plan” or a what, when, and where, for your new year's resolutions helps to solidify your resolve and set yourself on the right path. Being too wishy-washy or unclear when creating your goals makes it more difficult to follow through with them effectively and deal with challenges that arise. You can even set up fail-safes, meaning if you’re met with temptation and simply looking to your “why” doesn’t work, make a plan as to what to do next. This can translate to calling a friend for support or encouragement, practicing positive thinking, or reminding yourself how “bad behavior” will affect your goals.
Another part of an effective action plan can be to establish a pros and cons list. Keep this list with you and continually develop it over time with your own notions, or ask loved ones to contribute. Doing so will help to boost your motivation levels and give you something to refer to when you're met with challenges or temptations, further strengthening your resolve.
Luckily, we provide a proven plan and the support to go with it - so you always know what to do to stay on pace.
Progress Over Perfection
To maintain your new years' resolutions, it’s imperative that you celebrate or acknowledge your wins - as we say at the FASTer Way, “progress over perfection!” No one is perfect and focusing on the negatives will only lead to disappointment, frustration, and usually failure. Instead, focus on the positives and remember the impact sticking to your goals will have on your life.
For instance, if you go to the gym and all you focus on is what you couldn’t do, it’s less unlikely you’ll ever want to go again. However, if you dwell more on how great it is that you did go and what you did accomplish, no matter how big or small, you’ll feel encouraged or even excited to go again. Those wins add up to amazing results!
Still having trouble sticking to your goals? Try giving yourself a pat on the back through small personal awards to celebrate your achievements and mark your hard-earned progress. This works to further boost your confidence and motivation levels. Now, this doesn’t mean eating an entire box of your favorite chocolates if your goal is health-oriented, but celebrating in a way that doesn’t contradict your resolution, such as buying new fitness clothes or going to the movies with a friend.
Share Your Goals
One of the easiest ways to get your new year's resolutions to stick is to talk about it. Blab to your friends, family, loved ones, and anyone who will listen, about what you’re trying to achieve - be proud of your goals! This will keep your resolutions at the forefront of your mind, effectively working to increase motivation, strengthen resolve, and give your loved ones an opportunity to support your endeavors.
Reach out even further by finding a friend who shares the same resolution that you’ve set for yourself. This will not boost feelings of encouragement but make them more fun as well by having a partner that can take the same steps as you to accomplish them. For instance, if you’re trying to lose fat and build more lean muscle in the new year, take them with you to the gym or go on jogs together. Doing so will help keep you both accountable and make success all the more likely!
In our community, we share goals every week and cheer each other on!
Join Our Next Round Today!
Are you looking to elevate your lifestyle and be filled with energy every single day? Put some pep back in your step with the FASTer Way and begin a wellness journey that we can help make sure you stick with!
Using science-backed methods and comprehensive app, we help you burn fat and build lean muscle like never before. Our program offers one-on-one coaching, personalized and guided 30-minute workouts you can easily incorporate into your daily activities, and an online community of like-minded individuals for unending support.
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Then join our next round to unleash your inner wellness warrior today!