January 1st, 2024
It's that time of the year again where people are eager to start off the New Year with big goals and ambitions. About 1/3 of Americans make New Years resolutions so let’s dive into how you can be successful with your 2024 goals.
According to a recent article in Forbes Magazine, the most common new year's resolution for this year is improved fitness. I personally (and professionally) LOVE that the #1 resolution is to IMPROVE FITNESS instead of losing weight or dropping a pant size. Why? Because if your goal is to get stronger, more flexible, better endurance, etc (aka improve fitness) then you will be making improvements in ALL areas of your life. The benefits of fitness are endless and apply to all age groups, ethnicities, and genders:
Immediate improvements in thinking and cognition
Decreased risk of anxiety and depression
Decreased risk of heart disease and stroke
Less severe outcomes with COVID-19, the flu and pneumonia
Decreased risk of certain cancers
Stronger bones and muscles
Reduced pain and improved function for adults with arthritis
Better sleep
Improved sex life
And more!
I don't know about you but that list of benefits sound pretty good so what's the problem? Even though most people make resolutions focused around health and fitness, unfortunately only about 9% of people who make resolutions will follow through. In my career in healthcare I have seen some major pitfalls when people set goals and work towards them so I have put together a list of tips and tricks that will help you be more successful with your New Year's resolution.
Use approach-oriented goals:
Research has found that those using approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals. Approach-oriented goals involve reaching or maintaining desired outcomes. This is in contrast to avoidance-oriented goals which focus around avoiding or eliminating undesired outcomes. For example, an approach-oriented goal would be to be able to run a half marathon. The same goal in an avoidance manner would be to not miss a run all month long. By simply changing the focus to something more positive and encouraging you are more likely to be more successful. This goes along with the well research idea of positive reinforcement where desired stimuli are used to encourage positive outcomes. This approach is far more successful and healthy than negative reinforcement or even worse negative punishment.
Make SMART goals:
When you are creating goals for yourself whether it's for your fitness goals or business goals you need to be strategic on the details. By using the tried and true method of creating specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely goals you will not only be more successful but you will be able to track your progress much easier. One big pitfall I see people make is not having an actionable plan and being too vague. If you want to lose weight than your goal cannot simply be "I will lose weight this year". That is not specific, measurable, or timely. Instead a SMART and achievement-oriented goal would be "I will exercise for 30 minutes 4 times a week for 3 months in order to feel more confident and fit into a size smaller pair of pants". Also keep in mind that your goals are fluid; your goals will change over time depending on many factors. Maybe your initial goal was too easy and you achieved it faster than expected. Thats amazing but I challenge you to create a new, more challenging goal. Or maybe you realized that you really do hate running and like pilates much better. You are a dynamic, ever changing person so your goals should be too.
Take baby steps:
One of the biggest mistakes I see in my professional career is people starting out way too big and setting themselves up for failure before they even get started. Improvements of any kind, especially fitness related improvements, take a loooong time (think months instead of days or weeks). You have to start where your current fitness level is and slowly increase over time. This also helps prevent injuries in your fitness journey. Commonly I see people start out too aggressive with their first workout (ie running too long, lifting too heavy) and then they cannot get themselves off of the toilet the next morning. This is called "delayed onset muscle soreness" or "DOMS". Now if you were an athlete previously, you may not mind and maybe you even crave that feeling. BUT if you are new to exercise DOMS can be so discouraging and cause fear. It is completely unnecessary and can actually be harmful. So start slow and steady and progress slow and steady; Be the tortoise and not the hare.
Don’t get derailed:
"Success is not final; failure is not fatal; It is the courage to continue that counts. " -Winston Churchill
So often I hear people be too harsh on themselves if they misstep or get off course. Personally this is something I have had to work on constantly. But what I have come to realize is that you learn far more from the mishaps than you do from the successes. Just because you cheated on your diet or slept in all week instead of getting up early to workout does not mean you failed. Maybe you were listening to your body and giving it the calories it was asking for. Maybe your priorities needed to shift temporarily because you had sick kiddos at home to take care of. Everyone thinks the process is a straight line from point A to point B but in reality it looks more like an intense rollercoaster. There will be plenty of ups and probably just as many downs but if you stay determined you will get there. We are human after all so get back to it and learn from the process!
Get support:
The same research that showed the benefits of approach-oriented goals also found that those who have support are more successful in reaching and maintaining their resolutions. Having someone in your corner to help you along your fitness journey can be a game changer. Support can come in many forms including a partner encouraging you along the way, a support group online to learn from, a trainer to motivate you, or your friend to exercise with. What it should NOT be is someone to make you feel bad or chastise you if you get off track. I'm going to bring up positive reinforcement again here because it is so vital. Your support person should be there to remind you how well you are doing, encourage you to take a break if you are struggling, be a sounding board for new ideas, and give you a person to vent to when you need to get something off your chest. And if your support isn't going the way you want, change it!
HAVE FUN:
The one thing that can make the biggest difference is to find something you enjoy doing. I get asked almost daily what the best form of exercise is and my answer is always “whatever exercise you will actually do”. If you absolutely hate running then don’t force yourself to “get into it” because your friend said it is the best way to lose weight (that's fitting a square peg in a round hole). If you dread your routine you will find any excuse to not do it. But if you choose something that you enjoy like hiking, kick-boxing, or dancing then you will look forward to it and you will actually do it. However, I strongly encourage everyone to try new things and get out of your comfort zone a little. You might discover a new passion along the way. And just like your goals are dynamic and will change over time, what you enjoy doing may also change. Today you may not like going to the gym and lifting weights but 6 months from now when you are stronger and more confident you may turn into a gym rat and love it.
This study found it takes an average of 66 days to form a habit with a range of 18 to 254 days! I used to say it takes 30 days of consistent work to create a new habit but this study really shows that it can take much longer for most people. So my final bit of advice is to keep with your resolution for at least 3 months before throwing in the towel. You won't know what you are truly capable of until you give it a fair shot and I think most people will be surprised at what they can accomplish.
If you have made it this far, thank you for reading! If you have an injury or pain that is getting in the way of achieving your goals for the new year, call my office at 520-222-6928 or click on the link below to see if I can help!
Are there any tips/tricks that you have found helpful? Drop a comment below so we can all learn from each other.
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