New Year, New Diet, New You

Whether it’s to eat less sweets, consume more veggies, or something in between, a lot of us have big goals waiting to be accomplished this New Year. You may have the motivation, but don’t let yourself fall short of success or run out of steam during your journey. Let’s find out how.

New Year's Resolutions

How long have your past resolutions lasted: A week? A month? According to a meta-analysis and accompanying experiment published in 2020, nearly half of all respondents (45%) were unsuccessful in maintaining their resolutions longer than a month¹. 

We’ve all made goals that haven’t stuck, but why? What have we done in the past that has worked, and what have we done that hasn’t?

Avoidance VS Approach

Cut cold turkey, right? Just go through withdrawal and come out on the other side as a better person, yeah? Well, no, not necessarily. Our minds and bodies are intrinsically linked. After our bodies get used to a habit, lifestyle, or food, it’s a lot easier to reach for the Coke than it is water. Instead of having the goal be your approach, set your goal in a SMART manner (see this video on what SMART goals are and how they fit into an exemplary weight loss goal). Then, create actionable steps on how to reach that goal. That way, you have a plan and aren’t making it harder than it has to be, which ultimately makes you less likely to succeed.

Small Goals Lead to Bigger Ones

Imagine your successful journey to a new and better you as a staircase. Each step is a small, finely-tuned goal designed to be achievable at that point in the journey. With a one-day-at-a-time mentality, you’ll reach one goal after another with ease as all your effort is going into the task at-hand. The larger goal is the ultimate end-point, but should only (during the majority of your journey) be used as a guideline for your stairstep goals- you wouldn’t try to jump up a set of stairs, would you? 

Then, when the time is right and you have the success of your previous steps to bolster your motivation and ability, you can cross the finish line and hold continued and rightfully-deserved success in your hands as you overcome your primary, overarching, SMART goal.

Does It Sound Daunting?

Do you need help in any way? 

Don’t hesitate to sign up for a Nutrition Consultation or Fitness Training session with me or simply email kyler@ballardhealthclub.com and I’ll be more than happy to help you from there.

Have a wonderful New Year and I look forward to seeing each and every one of you at the gym!

-Kyler
Cert. Nutrition Coach and Personal Trainer @ BHC

Sources: 
¹Meta-Analysis + Experiment on New Year's Resolutions (& how to keep them)