Why you will fail at your New Year's Goals

Brace yourself: The New Year, New Me Posts are coming and right along with it are the false promises from gurus and experts promising that they can get you there with x,y,z plan.

People will be gung ho about these programs for about 2 weeks and then slowly begin to die on the vine until they give all the way up.

As you already know: I don’t like Fluff and I don’t like false promises.

I don’t like people who WANT and NEED to change being taken advantage of and told that they can have whatever they want in the next 30 days if they buy x,y,z program.

People may dabble in change for the 30 days and they may actually see some results but does it last?

In over 10 years in the fitness industry I will say no. These types of programs are often unsustainable and overwhelming because they want you to change everything at once.

Last week I posted on social media that I would much rather see someone get a handle on their nutrition before worrying about exercise. Does this mean I don’t think people should exercise? No of course not!

I believe that for many people focusing on nutrition is their biggest priority. If they want to see the fruits of their labor with exercise, then they need to eat properly. If they want to recover well from exercise, then they need to eat well.

Look at the above statistic: Every year one of the top New Years Goals is to lose weight and get healthier and the long term success rate for the Eat Less/Move More way is only 5%. F

or New Years the numbers are probably even worse since they go from Eat Less/Move More to Starvation/Exercise for Hours to have quicker results.

This is a recipe for failure.

Why you will fail at your New Year’s Goal: Poor Strategy

Even if you don’t want to lose weight and have a different goal, the chances for success are grim. Last year I read that most people give up on their New Years Resolutions by January 17. This year I read that only 8% of people accomplish their New Years Goals.

Why?

it isn’t a lack of willpower or because you don’t want it bad enough. That’s social media drivel.

A Result of Poor Strategy

I read a great blog post from James Clear who says it perfectly

And when we fall off course and fail to achieve our goals, we blame ourselves for “not wanting it badly enough” and for not having enough willpower. In many cases, however, failure is not a result of poor willpower, but a result of poor strategy.

BOOM! Absolutely right. When I’ve met with people, they want to go from Couch Potato to Olympic Athlete (with the physiques to match) in 30 days.

It doesn’t work that way and the fitness industry has done people a tremendous disservice of giving false promises of quick fix (SUSTAINABLE) results.

Here are some BETTER strategies so that you don’t fail at your New Year’s Goals.

Better Strategy #1 : KNOW your environment and build confidence before making dramatic changes

James Clear also says in his post:

What people assume is a lack of willpower or an unwillingness to change is often a consequence of trying to build good habits in bad environments.

If someone were trying to stop drinking, then we wouldn’t advise them to hang out with people who are still drinking a lot because it would be much harder to quit in that environment.

Similarly it’s like that when people are trying to build healthier habits. They try to do so in an environment that is not conducive to whatever change they want to make.

For example: If you want to start eating better and you’re in an environment where people eat fast food, gorge themselves at buffets, and think French Fries are a vegetable, then it’s going to be very hard for you to just up and start eating Egg Whites, Fish, and Veggies for every meal. This is a recipe for failure and yet I see this happen all the time.

A better strategy would be to start with a habit that you know you can change easily. This will help you to, “get your mind right”. You will see that you CAN do it and you will build your confidence. You’ll also start to be attracted to a better environment that can help support you in your goals.

Once you have gotten your mind right, then you won’t be as easily swayed by your environment. You need to have a victory first to build your confidence before aiming to make dramatic changes that last.

Better Strategy #2 START WITH ONE THING

A better strategy to make changes in your life is not to start with the hardest one but to start with a habit that is easier to maintain, gain momentum, and start making MORE changes from there.

For example: If someone wants to eat better, the first thing I have them do is Eat a High Protein breakfast. Why? When you eat a high protein breakfast, you digest carbohydrates slower and your blood sugar is much more stable. You are also more satiated and able to make better choices throughout the day.

This one good habit will give you the momentum to say NO to the 3 p.m. sugar rush (due to stable blood sugar) and avoid incessant snacking.

This ONE habit will create tremendous results and change over time.

Rather than focusing on 10 different things, focus on ONE thing and then move forward from there.

Better Strategy #3 Be realistic, Be Patient and Track your progress

Be Realistic

These ads that promise that you will look like the model by the end of the program are lying to you. You will not look like the model by the end of the program. You will look like yourself but hopefully you will feel better and also look better.

Be Patient

You must be patient with yourself. Realize there is no perfect and quick fixes don’t last. Focus on the progress and not the results. When you focus on the process, you will see more of the positive changes that are occurring rather than focusing on what isn’t happening.

And if you are looking to lose body fat as a goal, then here’s a great piece of advice…

STAY OFF THE SCALE

If you must, then weigh yourself at the beginning and ending of a program. Don’t do it during the program because you will just run yourself ragged about what’s happening and what’s not happening.

Track Your Progress

This is the big one for success. You MUST track your progress. That is the only way to know you are making changes and it is also the best way to help build your confidence as you gain momentum.

I use an App with my Clients so that they can track their progress on a daily basis.

Visually seeing your progress is super motivating!

So this year it’s time to do something different. One of the best strategies is to turn it over to a professional, join a community, and have someone to hold you accountable. I can help you.