New Year’s Resolutions
How to Make 2022 Your Year!
More exercise, losing weight, less stress, more time for yourself and the family: many people set goals for 2022. However, New Year's resolutions are quickly jeopardized because motivation drops with each passing day. While your friends and colleagues treat themselves to pizza and beer, you have broccoli, rice, and turkey on your plate. In last week’s blog I had you review 2021. If you missed it click here to catch up. I also did my podcast to show how to set your goals for 2022. Again, if you missed it click here to listen. In today’s blog, I'll show you how to successfully implement your New Year's resolutions.
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New Year's resolutions have a long tradition at the turn of each year. The only problem is that they often fail because they are either too ambitious or because the resolution is too much associated with deprivations and obligations. Diets that are too extreme and excessive exercise are more likely to lead you away from your goals in the long run than to help you. If you constantly suffer from hunger, you already feel tired and exhausted in the morning and your productivity during the day at work or during exercise suffers as a result, you will quickly notice what I mean by that. When you set goals, correctly defined, and treat yourself with something nice every now and then, you will stay motivated instead of giving up on your New Year's resolutions prematurely. Continue reading, to find out which mistakes you should avoid and how to best devise your New Year's resolutions.
Exchange old New Year's resolutions for new ones: More motivation instead of discouragement
Old New Year's Resolution: I want to lose 50 pounds
Losing weight is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. There is basically nothing wrong with that - it's just that weight loss alone is a bad goal. Why? Because this New Year's resolution is often associated with radical diets, extreme exercise, and dehydration.
Many people use any means to achieve their goals in the New Year. Whole foods are quickly left out or replaced with protein shakes. In addition, many are fully motivated to boost fat burning with excessive exercise. But anyone who has never done exercise before and now lifts dumbbells every day and spends hours on the exercise bike not only burns fat - they also build muscle.
Since muscle is known to be a little heavier than fat, the bathroom scale gives you the impression that you did not lose any weight yet. On the contrary: Many people then show even more weight on the scale, which is why they quickly lose sight of their goal.
The fact is: Constantly looking at the scale can then just be as compulsive as the strict renunciation of everything that tastes good and makes you full. Inevitably, at some point you will reach for sweets and chocolate to satisfy your hunger and lift your spirits. As soon as this happens, the yo-yo effect is preprogrammed, and your New Year's resolution moves further and further away. I will now give you a suggestion on how you can approach it from a different perspective.
Different New Year’s resolution: I want to get in shape
As shown above, radical New Year diets make little sense. Especially not if you set a time limit that is too tight. It is better to plan for weight loss long-term and approach New Year's resolutions with patience. A lot actually depends on good time management. If you exercise and eat healthily instead of giving up everything, you will be able to achieve your goal in the new year.
The bathroom scale should not be used as a guide when losing weight. If you do resistance exercise, you will inevitably weigh more in the beginning, because muscles are known to be heavier than fat. The following tips will help you to better document your weight loss success:
Body fat measurement (caliper): Instead of constantly standing on the scale, you should measure your body fat percentage. This way you get a much more precise result to measure the success of your weight loss endeavors. The most common measurement is calipometry. The following methods of measuring body fat vary in accuracy. Nevertheless, they give much more precise information about your success than just your weight.
Circumference measurement (tape measure): Sounds banal and is highly motivating at the same time. Because: As soon as the body fat percentage shrinks, the circumference of arms, legs, upper body, and hips will also change.
Clothing: Probably the cheapest option and yet very effective: after a few weeks, old shirts or pants will show you exactly how your body has changed. With clothing you always have an impressive comparison from the moment you put your resolutions into practice. If old pants are suddenly too loose or your shirts are getting tighter on the sleeves, you know that you are on the right track.
Old New Year's resolution: To eat according to the example of others
Another mistake that many make (when losing weight): They orientate themselves on the diet plans or diets of their role models. Influencers often propagate that the best form of nutrition is vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, low carb or ketogenic. Each of these forms of nutrition has its absolute justification and also works in terms of its concept. The problem here is that it doesn't mean that it works for you too.
For beginners, too big of a change in the diet may be problematic because the digestive tract is quickly overwhelmed. This affects your mood and represents unnecessary stress. Here, too, your performance can suffer, which gradually leads you away from your goals. As soon as you do not like the food and you are not full, you create perfect conditions for food cravings. The fact is: everybody is different, which is why the diet should also be individual to meet the daily need for essential nutrients. Orienting oneself to role models would simply be the wrong approach, which inevitably leads to a dead end.
New Year's Resolution: Eat More Vegetables and Fruits
Instead of following the diets of your role models, you should develop your own nutritional strategy. There is no one-size-fits-all diet that suits everyone. Rather, you have to find out for yourself which diet is the best way to implement your resolution for the New Year.
If you are unsure and you don't want to run the risk of being hungry all the time, you should eat more vegetables with your meals. Vegetables are low in calories, and the fiber they contain will keep you full for a long time. This is a great advantage - especially if you want to lose weight.
However, many people make the mistake of not eating for a long time or very little between meals. Longer fasts of 4 hours or more, however, can lead to food cravings because blood sugar levels can drop. It is better to have a snack between meals that can provide the body with energy. Nuts or fruit are good choices. Examples would be almonds and berries. However, you shouldn't overdo it here either, as nuts in particular can have a lot of calories.
You will see: As soon as you have taken the first step, changing your diet will no longer be difficult. Little by little you can replace and / or supplement your nutrition plan with healthy foods (whole grain products, low-fat meat and fish, low-fat dairy products, nuts, healthy vegetable oils) in order to successfully implement your New Year's resolutions.
Old New Year's Resolution: Exercise more
Exercise and other physical activities are a wonderful New Year's resolution at the turn of the year, which initially can help you lose weight and then improve your fitness. However, if you start on your own without a plan, you run the risk of training improperly or being overly motivated. This can not only damage your body in the long term, but it can also lessen your performance. If you train yourself to only end up with sore and aching muscles, you will think twice about whether you still want to exercise. Anyone who trains with poor technique or overestimates their actual strength on the weight bench can seriously injure themselves or even end up with poor posture. For some people it also takes too much effort to overcome the embarrassment going to a gym. By themselves, many people find it difficult to start exercising out of shame.
The big problem with well-intentioned New Year's resolutions is finding the motivation to get started and stick with the process over the long term. No matter how big your New Year's resolution is, most people struggle with exercise or weight training in the long run.
This New Year's Resolution: Exercise Together
If you want to exercise on your own, you will have to reckon with the difficulties that come along with it, as mentioned above. So, what you are missing is a coach or training partner to motivate and encourage each other. You will see: Exercise is not only more fun together - it is also much more effective because you are not fighting your weaker self on your own. Your coach or training partner can also support you with exercises and thus help to achieve more intensity and performance in your workouts.
In addition, you feel obliged to your training partner. If you are lacking a little motivation, you have one more reason to exercise because you don't want to let your friend down. This tip may sound clichéd. But it is extremely effective.
But be careful: So-called fitness challenges on social media can on one hand be very motivating – yet on the other hand they can also be quite risky if they are associated with by extreme diets.
Implementing New Year's resolutions successfully: They have to be realistic
So that you can successfully implement your goals and control your success, the New Year's resolutions should be measurable, specific, realistic, and achievable. Every unrealistic goal not only demotivates you - you also quickly lose sight of it. You will only know that you are on the right track if your resolution can be measured.
Another reason why many fail with their New Year's resolutions is that they misphrase their goals. Instead of saying: "I have to lose body fat", this statement would be better: "I want to get in shape and reduce my body fat percentage by X percent in about X weeks."
By turning a “must” into a “can”, you perceive your New Year's resolutions as a conscious decision and not as a compulsion. In addition, you make your goals measurable. Your eyes quickly get used to changes in your body and are no longer aware of them. It is therefore difficult for many to recognize successes themselves. Measurable goals give you a real and recognizable goal. The more realistic your New Year's resolutions are, the easier it will be for you to achieve them. These successes give you feelings of happiness, which in turn motivate you to set new goals. This way you build a cycle that gradually helps you to achieve ever greater goals.
More tips for implementing your New Year's resolutions: You can still do this!
Finally, I'll give you a few helpful tips that can help you plan, carry out, and evaluate your New Year's resolutions.
1. Tips for planning your New Year's resolutions
Before you start implementing your New Year's resolutions, the first thing you should ask yourself is why you want a change. Why do you want to lose weight, do more exercise, or eat healthier?
Define your goal and write it down. Place the goals where you most often make the decision whether to pursue your goal or not. This way you can keep your goals in mind every day before you make your decision. This technique will help you make the right decisions. If you have multiple goals, make a list and cross off each goal you achieved. Here, too, feelings of happiness will build, and your self-esteem will grow with each goal you achieve. The more goals you crossed out, the more motivation you have to achieve further resolutions.
Think about the problems that can arise in the process of implementation. Try to solve as many problems as you can in advance. This allows you to react more flexibly and better to these later when they occur. The more carefully you plan your intentions, the more likely it will be successful.
2. Tips for carrying out your New Year's resolutions
So that you actually achieve the goals you have set for yourself for 2022, you should concentrate on the essentials. It doesn't matter if you reach for something sweet one time or another. It is only important that you stay on track and that you do not lose sight of your New Year's resolutions.
If you replace the verb “must” with “can” and reward yourself more often for your successful work, you will stick with it even after you have achieved your New Year's resolutions.
By the way: Sometimes goals are a little more than a “banal” New Year's resolution. For example, if you want to improve your fitness, you are not only losing fat deposits - you are also doing something for your health. So: Realize the deeper meaning of your New Year's resolutions to keep yourself motivated!
3. Tips for evaluating your New Year's resolutions
You will only know whether or not you have accomplished your New Year's resolution by checking the result. If you haven't achieved your New Year's resolution, it's not the end of the world. On the contrary: question your goal again. What can you do better and how can you still achieve your goal?
You were able to successfully implement your New Year's resolutions? Congratulations! Praise yourself and celebrate! Successful experiences not only motivate - they also encourage you to keep going. Perhaps you can think of something else that you would like to change in the coming year? Then just set a new goal and enjoy the way there!
How to deal with setting yourself up for success in the new year and lead a happy family life, I will show you in my upcoming podcast.
For now, I wish you a healthy, successful and prosperous New Year!
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Patrick
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