Pete RohlederAs I’m sure you could probably guess, the most common resolution is a fitness New Year’s resolution that involves improving health and fitness results. The fitness New Year’s resolution usually includes losing weight, increasing physical activity, eating better, taking up an exercise hobby, or joining a gym.
Unfortunately, nearly everyone who begins a fitness New Year’s resolution has hung it up within a few weeks.
Based on a survey conducted by Stephen Shapiro and Opinion Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey, 3 out of 4 people almost never succeed in achieving their New Year’s resolutions1.
So why the vast turnover? There are several reasons, but I will focus on seven fitness New Year’s Resolution mistakes, which, surprisingly, are also the ones that are the easiest to improve!
#1: Unrealistic Goals
You wouldn’t believe how many of my clients grab the latest fitness magazine, hold it up, and say, “Here’s my fitness New Year’s resolution- I want to look like this!”
I love their enthusiasm; I genuinely do.
Unfortunately, most people do not understand the immense commitment, work, and to some degree, genetics it takes to achieve that kind of physique, let alone to maintain it. Having once lived in that world, I can assure you that there is much more than meets the eye. And for most, it’s just not realistic, especially if the person starts from scratch.
I’m not saying it’s unattainable, but not realistic in the short term.
That’s not to say that they can’t drastically improve their health and fitness but starting with a realistic goal can help prevent discouragement and burn-out.
The Solution:
Set SMART goals.
You’ve probably heard this before, but setting SMART goals can help you develop a path to success. SMART is an acronym that stands for:
S-specific
M-measurable
A– achievable
R– Realistic
T-timely
This process ensures you are starting on the right path toward your goals and can help put them into perspective.
Set short-term (1-2 months), midterm (6 months), and long-term (12 months).
This is an extension of the SMART goals, but setting multiple goals works wonders for the psyche. I love short-term goals because they are achieved relatively quickly and continue to add steam as you work towards your long-term goal. It’s a win-win!
Speak with a qualified fitness professional to help you set a realistic goal.
Let’s say you want to lose weight, and your goal is to lose 30 pounds in 30 days. Can it be done? In most cases, no. Not in a healthy, lasting way, that is. However, speaking with a qualified fitness professional about everything contributing to achieving your goals, such as exercise, nutrition, and sleep, can help you set a realistic timeline. Now, you have a short-term goal of losing 2 pounds per week, which is very attainable and the most efficient way to decrease body fat and keep it off. At that rate, it will take you 15 weeks (give or take some) to reach your goal of losing 30 pounds.
#2: The Wrong Approach
Piggybacking off the enthusiasm from #1, many people are intensely motivated to achieve their fitness New Year’s resolution after being sedentary for the last year or more. So, what do they do? They go all in because it’s “go hard or go home,” right?
The first couple weeks usually consist of a significant increase in volume, jam-packing intense activity into their day with the hope of expedited results.
They are hitting the gym, joining the Boot-Camp-Killer-Cardio-Amped-Up Class, joining friends on their 5-mile run, and hitting hot yoga or spin classes in between.
I may have exaggerated it a bit, but you get the point. Most people don’t understand what their body is going through when they exercise and power through fueled with motivation and out-of-date, inaccurate slogans. Within a couple of days or weeks, their whole attitude has changed, and they’ve lost the motivation to continue.
All exercise is stress on the body. If that stress is too intense and recovery is not factored in, that physiological stress compounds, delaying the body’s adaptations.
Recovery and time are essential, especially if you are beginning a new program.
Gradual increases in intensity are what will yield the best results. Your body has the time to adapt to the stress and overload of training, and your outcomes can be more successful.
The Solution:
Ease into it, even if it seems you’re not doing enough.
Initially, you don’t need to “feel it” for benefits to occur. Of course, as you progress, increases in intensity are required to continue improving. Many of my clients are surprised at how “easy” the workouts are the first week. But a couple of days later, I get the text, “It’s hard to move, but I hardly did anything!” By gradually increasing intensity, your body doesn’t resist the change as much, and it seems to fuel your motivation.
#3 Completely Unprepared
If you decided to build a house, would you run to the lumber yard, buy a handful of 2×4’s, some nails, and a few tools, and expect a solidly built house in a few weeks? It takes much more time, planning, resources, and investment to make it the right way. The same goes for our health and fitness transformations. To achieve our fitness New Year’s resolutions, we must take the time to address all the components that will contribute to and hinder our progress. We must be realistic with ourselves and identify the areas that need to change or improve for us to succeed.
The Solution:
Review the foundation.
It’s good to have an idea of what you are doing to achieve your fitness New Year’s resolutions. Check out my article, The Exercise Start-up Guide: 8 Tips to Begin the Right Way if you need a refresher.
Address all areas that will contribute to your success.
Here are a few to consider:
- What type of exercise is best for your goal?
- How often will you commit to exercising?
- How are your nutritional habits?
- What do you need to change to eat healthier more often?
- Are you stressed?
- Are you managing stress?
- What will keep you motivated?
#4: Progress isn’t Tangible
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make with their fitness New Year’s resolutions (or any training goal) is not documenting or charting their workouts and, consequently, their progress.
You might remember what weight you used last time, but what about the rep ranges? Did you complete all the scheduled reps? Did you struggle on any? What about your rest duration? What components will you alter to challenge yourself differently next workout session?
The same can apply to cardio training. How long did it take you to complete your session? How intensely did you train? What is your average heart rate? What was your mile splits? How can you challenge yourself differently next session to continue improvements?
Documenting your training has many benefits, but it mainly allows you to see your progress and efficiently make adjustments to continue improving.
The Solution:
Document your training- what you’re doing, repetitions, time, intensity, and any other component you can adjust to continue challenging yourself.
It doesn’t have to be fancy- it can be a small notebook or a smartphone app, or if you’re Microsoft Word or Excel fluent, you can create a template that you can fill in, either on paper or on your phone or tablet.
Schedule a consistent weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly review of your progress and re-measure tangible components.
Maybe it’s your weight; maybe your circumference of the waist, hips, arms, or legs; perhaps it’s a fitness assessment, such as a mile time or several push-ups without stopping. The options are endless but select something that pertains to your goal and can be measurable in some way. It’s easy to see your progress and any changes that are needed to improve.
#5 Misplaced Motivation
Most people are motivated by the aesthetics of health and fitness, and their fitness New Year’s resolution revolves around it.
Simply, we want to look better.
There is nothing wrong with that at all. It can keep some people motivated indefinitely. But, if you are motivated by only aesthetics, once you reach your goal, what will keep you training?
Many people find it hard to sustain their commitment after they progress or achieve their aesthetic goals. If nothing intrinsically motivates them, many will discontinue their fitness journey.
I suggest finding something intrinsic that will always be a reason for you to continue your health and fitness journey. For example, my fitness New Year’s resolution may be to lose weight, and after six months, I achieve my goal. But, if I also aim to stay healthy so I can live a long, active life with my kids, then I have an intrinsic reason that I can always rely on for motivation.
The Solution:
Find several reasons that motivate you and document them, with at least one that is intrinsic and will always encourage you over the long term.
If you have a meaningful, important reason to continue a health and fitness journey, you’re more likely to have some level of sustained motivation.
#6 Forgetting the Whole Picture
You just finished your workout and are happy and proud, as you should be! Time to reward yourself. So, you run through the nearest drive-thru and order a tasty and satisfying 1000-calorie meal.
After two weeks of this routine, you step on the scale, and the numbers are up. Why? You’ve been working out, so shouldn’t the numbers go down? If gaining weight was your goal, you might be happy with the results. However, if weight loss was your focus, you may need to re-evaluate your approach.
Unfortunately, exercise alone seldom leads to accomplishing your goals. Exercise is just one part of the picture. In combination with exercise, your body will respond to several other components, especially your nutritional habits.
If you are under or over-nourished (i.e., eat too little or too much), your body will adapt accordingly. Though exercise can mediate this a bit, how you eat will ultimately dictate how your body responds.
For example, if your goal is to lose weight, and you haven’t achieved a negative calorie balance (expend more than you consume), even with exercise, then it is unlikely you’ll see the scale change. You must consider what you do outside your training sessions and determine how they impact your goals.
The Solution:
Find a starting place for your caloric needs specific to your goals.
It’s a great idea to know how many calories you need and how to fuel yourself appropriately for your goals. Luckily, this can be done with a quick calculation. I have a Calorie Estimator Calculator in The Vault at moretomovement.com. To gain access, sign up for my weekly email digest, a weekly dose of the means and mindset to level up your fitness, movement, and life. You can gain access at moretomovement.com/email.
#7 Ignoring Existing Habits
Habits, good or bad, run our day-to-day life. What we do becomes ritualistic, so we no longer think about it. That can be good in some cases, such as washing your hands after using the restroom or locking your car doors after exiting.
But what about our habits that don’t promote healthy or positive outcomes? Are you in the habit of sitting down to watch television for several hours after your workday? Do you have a habit of drinking several sugary, carbonated drinks daily? Do you have a habit of immediately pulling out your phone if you have any downtime? To achieve your goals, it is essential to assess your current habits and determine if steps need to be taken to alter, add, or eliminate habits.
The Solution:
Spend the next few days being aware of your daily routines, and document what you do and when you do it. Then determine if these actions positively affect your everyday life or hinder you from improving.
Some habits may need to be altered, such as reducing the time spent on your phone so you can be productive in other areas. Some may need to be added, such as adding four glasses of water daily to your routine. And some may need to be eliminated or reduced significantly, such as cutting out sugary, carbonated drinks or limiting your intake to one a day.
Find resources to help improve habits.
Our mindset plays a tremendous role in how we live our lives. Finding resources to help change and improve our mindset can help move the needle. A great place to start is with the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s by far one of my go-to reads every year.
I encourage you to consider these reasons while preparing your fitness New Year’s resolution. I challenge you to be the 1 in 4 that achieve their resolutions!
What are your resolutions? Please share them with me!
[1]https://stephenshapiro.com/interesting-new-years-resolution-statistics/
Pete Rohleder
