Avoid These Common Fitness Mistakes in your New Year's Resolutions.
The beginning of a new year is a chance to start fresh. Whether you want to quit smoking, lose weight, or spend more time with your family, the new year is the perfect time to set goals for yourself.
But staying on task for these goals can be challenging—too often, even the best-intentioned resolutions can fall apart by the end of the month. To make goals that stick this year, make sure to avoid these common New Years' resolution mistakes.
1. Making Unreasonable Resolutions
When the new year comes around and everyone starts talking about the changes they're going to make, it's easy to get competitive and aim for something unrealistic. Unrealistic goals that are destined to fall flat. Want to lose 20 lbs. this month?
Your New Year's resolution should be something you can reasonably achieve. Shooting too high means setting yourself up to fail, which doesn't do your motivation any favors. Think about your strengths and limitations when you set your goals.
2. Going In Without a Plan
Acknowledging a change that you'd like to make is a great first step. It doesn't mean much, however, if you don't create a plan for how to make that resolution happen.
If you’re hoping to lose weight, for example, decide ahead of time how you're going to do it. Will you change your diet? Will you hit the home gym at least once a week? Define your goals in a way that you can measure.
3. Following the Trends
The turn of the year is a popular time to assess where you are in life while taking stock of your goals and ambitions. If you make a New Year's fitness plan though, make sure it's tailored to your needs, not the latest trend.
There will always be trends to follow, but it'll be tough to see your resolution through if you don't truly believe it's the right thing to do for you. Although there's nothing wrong with looking for inspiration, your New Year's resolution should be uniquely yours—not just what all the fitness gurus on Instagram are doing.
4. Not Expecting Adversity
No matter your age, experience, or ability, you are never immune to failure. Sometimes failure is necessary and can be used as a motivator, and sometimes it means you need to reassess your goals. You're going to run into adversity in pursuit of your goals, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. New Year's resolutions can be difficult, intense, and even frustrating, but keep in mind that this challenge was meant to be exactly that: a challenge. So don't get discouraged if you get a little off track, or miss a home workout every now and again.
5. Losing Steam
A year is a long time, and you might not have the same vigor and conviction in June as you did in January. Keeping your motivation can be difficult, but it's the only way to stay true to your New Year's resolution. Remember to reward yourself along the way, and check out your results regularly for some positive feedback. If your goal is to get more fit, it helps to have an elliptical or treadmill at home to remind you of your mission.
The Takeaway
A New Year's resolution is a commitment to change according to your needs and ambitions. Your resolution can be as big or small as you want it to be, and it doesn't have to be done within the year. Set reasonable goals and make a framework to accomplish them, and remember to stay true to yourself and keep your head up through the duration—even when it gets tough.
Have questions? Ask them in the comments below!
