Easy to follow tips to help you stick to your resolutions
The start of the New Year is often seen as not only a time for festivity, but also a chance for growth and change. Many people make a New Year’s resolution to change something they’re not happy with about themselves, like losing weight, starting an exercise and wellness regime, drinking less alcohol, or saving more money. Resolutions usually stem from people’s desire to either continue or form positive habits and stop negative ones, change a behavioural trait, or achieve a goal. Did you know, though, that only two weeks into the New Year, nearly one third (29%) of people have given up?1 The reason for this is a lot of well-meaning people make some avoidable mistakes when chasing their resolutions – they resolve to change too much too fast, the resolution is too ambiguous, and/or they don’t track their progress and end up getting disheartened. Read on for some tips on how to stick to (and achieve) your resolutions for 2023.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical health professional. These tips are meant to be general advice only; there are some situations where it can be exponentially more difficult to implement and maintain goals - for example, if you are working through mental health challenges. If this is the case, you should seek more specific and professional advice from your GP or an allied health professional. Additionally, the sources provided within are for informational purposes and do not represent an endorsement of any kind.
1) Understand why you’re making a resolution
The first step in making an achievable resolution is to consider the benefits and reasons for the change you want to make. Having a deep understanding of your motivation to change is vital in keeping you on track when otherwise you might be inclined to give up. Find out exactly what it is you want to change, why you want to change it, and reflect on the year that passed – what you learned during can help determine the direction you take moving forward. Really think everything through and consider what will go into making and keeping a resolution. When you know what you want to change and why:
2) Make your resolution specific and realistic
When your resolution is too ambiguous, it unfortunately makes it much easier for you to wind up discouraged and eventually quit. Instead, make or change your resolution to be specific, measurable, and realistic. For example, if you’ve resolved to “lose weight” how do you know when you’re done? How much weight do you want to lose, and by when? How much weight do you have available to lose? As an alternative, “I weigh 100 kilograms and resolve to lose 6 kilograms in 6 months and see how I feel” is a better goal, because it gives you a framework to adhere to, milestones to measure progress by, and is realistic and achievable. This leads us to our next step:
3) Plan out your resolution
Once you’ve decided on your specific, measurable, and realistic resolution, the next move is to work backwards from the end goal and break it down into manageable steps. In the above example, your milestones are losing 1kg per month. To hit those mini goals, you could go about it several ways: you could eat less, eat more but healthier, start working out, learn about nutrition, hire a personal trainer, etc. You could do each of those for one month and see how you feel to find the best way for you to stick to your goals. Eventually you may do all those things at the same time on your weight loss journey, but at the start:
4) Do one resolution at a time, one step at a time
To avoid getting overwhelmed, you really want to chase one resolution at a time. Start off with small steps and gradually build on to that as you become more proficient and reach milestones. If you try to do too much all at once, you’re more likely to get discouraged if something goes wrong. A personal resolution is not a race against anyone but your past self, so take it slow and make it sustainable. You’ve made your resolution, but it’s not all or nothing! It is very important to know that flexibility in these endeavours will mean you’re more likely to succeed in the long run. If you need to change a deadline or alter your methods, then do it. It doesn’t mean you’ve changed your mind or failed at the goal; you’re just adapting to a new situation with new information.2 Remember that any positive change you make is cause for celebration, so:
5) Track your progress and celebrate your achievements
Keep track of the progress you make in any way you can, and when you reach a milestone, congratulate yourself! Track everything, because when you get discouraged (you will, and it’s okay) you can look back on how far you’ve come from where you started and realise that you are capable of change after all. Remind yourself that you’re trying to change unhealthy practices that in some cases have been habits or behaviours for quite a long time, so it’s unrealistic to expect to change perfectly overnight. Don’t beat yourself up about any mistakes you might make on your journey. Any positive change is worth a pat on the back, and it’s all about the progress.
6) Get more sleep and drink more water!
Now for something more practical. To keep your body feeling good and performing at an optimal level, an adequate amount of sleep and water is required. You’ve likely heard the old rule of 8-10 cups of water per day, but this is based on an outdated survey from 1945 and doesn’t consider bodyweight, activity level, or the temperature, which would mean you could need less or far more. A better formula is a minimum of 35mL water per kg of body weight, up to 50mL per kg if it’s hot or you’re more active.3 This amount is over the whole day, so try to take regular sips instead of drinking lots all at once to avoid hyponatremia. Lastly, really try to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Everything is easier on a good night’s sleep, and for the above example of losing weight, not getting enough sleep will make you hungrier the next day.4 Understandably, it can be pretty difficult for people who have commitments (busy single parents, people with multiple jobs) to achieve this, so the best you can do is as much as possible.
Take care of yourself!