Is it even possible to actually keep your resolutions?
Every year seems to start out the same way. All you have to do is hit the gym in January to see how packed it is. Then go again in February, and notice how many people don’t honor their resolutions, even a month later.
The reason for this is that people convince themselves that just because the clock strikes midnight and a new year begins, they can use that as motivation to suddenly change their behaviors and lives. The truth is, that kind of motivation doesn’t even last a month, because it is based on the changing of time, which doesn’t even technically exist.
Okay, so I got a little esoteric on you there. But what I mean is, if you actually want to stick to a resolution, it needs to be tied to something a little more than a date on the calendar.
Fad diets are probably the biggest resolution busters. The thing about fad diets is, that technically they work. No matter how unhealthy they may be, if you stick to them religiously, you will lose weight. Are there a bunch of other, healthier ways to shed pounds? Absolutely. But resolution fad diets are the quick and easy way, and that is why most of the time, they fail.
READ MORE: Resolutions Versus Goals: Five Fitness Goals for 2020
That being said, integrity is important. I want you to stick to whatever diet and fitness regimen works for you. If you are intent on using the resolution system to get the body of your dreams, I won’t stop you. Instead, I will try and help. So here are a few ways to stick to your resolution fad diet in 2020. Good luck!
Set reasonable goals. You may have all the fake motivation in the world to hit the gym every day the first week of January, but that is not sustainable. Instead, try and work out two or three times a week to start. If you can do this for the month of January, by February you may actually want to add a day. It takes 33 days for a habit to take root.
Police your own integrity. If you miss a day of workouts, make up for it in some way, even if you have to push something else off the list. If you eat something you really shouldn’t, add some extra time to your next workout. It’s okay to slip up, but if you want to maintain your integrity, you have to make up for your own mistakes. You are the only one who can hold yourself accountable.
Enlist a friend. Enlisting a friend can either help or hinder you, but in most cases the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. If you have a friend who always keeps their appointments and sticks to their guns, go to them for help. The idea here is to partner with someone who will raise you up, not drag you down.
Don’t give up. I know that is easier said than done, but ‘giving up’ implies that one day, you just stop dieting or working out forever. In truth, that day never actually comes. If you miss a week or two, its easy to think you will never jump back into the routine again, but the first day that you do, it will feel like riding a bike. So I encourage you to remove the word ‘quit’ from your vocabulary entirely. You may take a break from your fitness, but you can never truly quit. If you think of things in these terms you are less likely to be hard on yourself, and more likely to create a longstanding lifestyle change.
Evolve your goals. Fad diets may help you lose weight, but eventually they stop working. Fad workouts are much the same. So make this goal instead: use the month of January to create a habit—whether it is a diet or workout. Commit to that goal for the entire month. Then, in February after you have achieved your goal, assess your situation. Maybe try a different diet or workout plan. Once you get your body used to the lifestyle change, switching it up will keep things interesting, and make you much more likely to continue with your new lifestyle.
The moral of this story is, if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you will get the results that you’ve always gotten. If you really are serious about making 2020 the year everything changes, start by changing the way you think.