Jennifer Heard
- Jan 5, 2017
- 3 min read

New Year’s Resolutions Suck!

Happy New Year 2017

By now we have all committed to a new year’s resolution. A small percentage of us may have already given up; by the end of January 30% will have forgotten the resolution with only about 46% still with it by June. The percentage of people that actually hold to and accomplish their resolutions right through until next New Year’s Eve is only about 8%. But this is NOT bad news! You and I can accomplish this sticky task! It’s about changing perspective!

Why Resolutions suck and what to do about it!

Ok so the reason resolutions are so damn hard to keep is all about the wording. By nature human beings hate being told what not to do. A resolution is just that! You saying to yourself “Don’t do that!” Even the ones disguised as a positive statement like “This year I am going to eat healthier”. In reality this sentence actually means “don’t eat junk food”! So how can we combat this?

Set a goal; not a resolution

The word resolution means: a firm decision to do or not do something. We need a goal. Simple fact. When presented with a work project we never say “I’ll get right on that” and put it aside to never complete. If we did, the job would be lost quickly. Instead we set goals on completing the task at hand. We create an agenda for getting it done on time with complete efficiency. Why not do this for your “resolution”? So let’s change things up a bit. This year set goals! Here are the top 2 New Year’s resolutions and how to rework them so that they can be attained instead of forgotten.

Get in Shape

Sample schedule to help attain fitness goals

The number 1 resolution set on January first was “this year I resolve to get in shape”. Sound familiar? Yep, I’ve been there! By the end of January the body hurts, ego is bruised and ever so slowly we start saying “I was good last week, I can skip the workout today”, “Wow that day went fast! I’ll workout tomorrow”. Tomorrow becomes next Friday, next Friday becomes a month from now…. Until we completely forget about that resolution. How to fix this? Easy! Set a goal with a workout schedule. One that is attainable and instead of going hard at it for a week or two; start out slow. Think about what fitness goals you want to attain. Perhaps you want to tone up, or maybe sculpt your rear end… No matter what it is choose a specific goal and create a workout based on the goal.

By the end of the fourth week you start to crave the workout. By the end of the second month it has become second nature. Workouts become just another part of the day.

Start Eating Healthier

What exactly does this even mean? We all say it; but when we do what do we mean? Here we need a specific goal not a general statement. Ask yourself what is it about your diet that you need to change? Personally I love carbs! I consume too many and not enough protein; thus I would set my goal as “replace 1 carb a day with a protein source”. Be as specific as you can. Remember that as time passes these statements can be refined, molded to suit the current circumstances. After about 4 weeks habits are forming at the two month point the habit is well in place and we can now look at another aspect of the diet to change. Thus by the end of 1 year we have made 6 healthy changes to how we eat.

Yes! Resolution Success!

By setting goals we take control and place responsibility into our own hands. By setting small specific goals on a weekly to monthly basis we can build the larger picture. Think of pieces in a puzzle. We must find all those corners, edges and middle pieces so that the picture is easier to build. Large generalizations of a resolution leave no place to start. It is overwhelming. By breaking it down, we can attain small goals that will accumulate and bring about the results we want. No bruised ego only happy faces!