Happy New Year! It’s a brand new year, clean slate, new visions and goals, endless possibilities . . . right?? This time of year we are inundated with others sharing their goals for the new year, asking you what your goals are, and feeling the pressure to completely revamp ourselves for the year ahead. Is this a good thing? Should we be doing this? Is it even effective? Well, let’s break it down.
New Years Resolutions in and of themselves are a solid idea in theory. We see the opportunity to upgrade our current habits, feel better in our bodies (however that may look) and make tweaks and adjustments to live an overall better life. Nothing wrong with that! Where we tend to see new years resolutions get a little out of control is when we are making drastic changes that are not sustainable. We want to be healthier in the new year so we completely cut out carbohydrates, alcohol, [insert food group here], commit ourselves to 7 days/week of exercise, tell ourselves that we must workout 2 times/day for change to occur, etc. etc. You’ve seen it before and maybe you have felt the pressure of it before too! These are habits that may be sustainable for the short term (January) but not for the long term. The problem comes after that short term change. If you don’t have a plan in place for how to gradually balance those habits back out while also still creating lasting results for yourself, your body will go crazy the minute it comes into contact with a piece of bread or the minute you have the opportunity to take a rest day. We need to find the middle ground.
How do we do that?
Step 1: Write down all that is going well in your life right now
Think of all the habits that are currently working, making you feel best, enriching your family, and just leaving you with an overall positive outlook. These are the habits that we not only want to carry over to the new year but also we want to build upon in order to make the next year even better. Bonus if these were habits that you picked up in the prior new year and have found a solid routine with!
Step 2: Write down areas that are not working
These are the places in your life that are causing you to not feel your best. This one is tough because we tend to let outside noise in. Everyone else is doing Dry January so we feel like that’s something we should do. Everyone else is committing to training for a half marathon so we feel like we should too. Not to say that those are poor resolutions, however, you need to choose habits that will improve YOUR life and are applicable to YOUR life — that’s motivating! So make your list. It can be long or short; don’t worry, we won’t be choosing every single one of these areas to work on.
Once you have created that list, now choose 2-3 areas that would make the biggest difference in your overall outlook and daily life if you were to improve upon them. For example:
- I don’t feel confident in my body. I have gained weight and my clothes feel tight.
- I scroll on my phone way too often and feel like there are better uses of my time.
- I have become so busy with work that I feel isolated from my circle of friends and family.
Step 3: Take those 3 areas and turn them into habit goals
Now, connect a daily habit to that area that will improve it. This habit is something you can visualize yourself doing daily for the next 12 months, and then beyond (hint: it will become a second nature to you because it’s that simple to implement). And yes, it’s simple to implement but it will take a minute to create a routine for it. More on that below!
This practice might look like this:
- I don’t feel confident in my body, I have gained weight and my clothes feel tight —> I am committing to exercising 3 days/week for the next 3 months. (start with 3 and then review the goal and continue on or upgrade it).
- I scroll on my phone way too often and feel like there are better uses of my time —> I will read books rather than scrolling my phone.
- I have become so busy with work that I feel isolated from my circle of friends and family —> I will make a consistent effort to catch up with a friend or family member weekly and monthly.
Step 4: Connect the habit to the how
This tends to be the missing link in many new years resolutions. We say all the great things we are going to work on but we forget to make a plan for HOW we will achieve these wonderful goals. These plans should be specific, attainable and in your wheelhouse (fits your budget, schedule, etc.) This might look like this :
- I don’t feel confident in my body, I have gained weight and my clothes feel tight —> I am committing to exercising 3 days/week for the next 3 months –> I will hire a personal trainer 2x/week to workout in a gym environment. I will complete the 3rd workout at home following my personal trainer’s program.
- I scroll on my phone way too often and feel like there are better uses of my time —> I will read books rather than scrolling my phone –> Before getting into bed each night, I will plug in my phone on my nightstand. I will read before bed instead. I can join a Good Reads community (or similar) for book suggestions etc.
- I have become so busy with work that I feel isolated from my circle of friends and family —> I will make a consistent effort to catch up with a friend or family member weekly and monthly —> I will put a weekly calendar reminder of who I want to check in with. I will make plans with that person to get together during that month as well.
Last 2 steps, you’re almost there!
Step 5: Project how you will feel
AKA — you’re connecting to your WHY. Breakdown how it will feel when these areas are a part of your daily routine. You are connecting the habits to the why. This will be what motivates you when it gets tough or when you feel like giving up. Keep these projections somewhere that you can remind yourself, easily, why you are making these changes.
Step 6: Schedule Check Ins
This one is huge! You have to hold yourself accountable towards working on these goals. Schedule a time in your calendar (literally, put it on your calendar as a recurring event) to check in on how you are doing with working towards these goals. Ask yourself:
- How have I done in working towards this goal?
- Why do I feel this way?
- Have I been able to commit to the planned habit? Why or why not?
- Does something need to change in the next month so that I can do better?
Do this for each of your resolutions, each month. Bonus — if you work with Press The Limit Fitness, we regularly schedule check ins with you to see how you are progressing physically and mentally in your journey. Together, we create a plan for the upcoming weeks to keep that progress moving in the most effective way possible. Find out more by booking a free intro here!
There you have it! Your step by step guide to new years resolutions that will not only work but will stick for years to come! Happy New Year! Here’s to a successful, healthy, SUSTAINABLE new year for you!
If health and fitness are top on your priority list for 2025 but you are unsure of where to start — book a free intro with us here — we’d love to chat and see how we can help you!