5 Reasons New Year's Resolutions Fail And What You Can Do To Make Them Work!
Every year millions of Americans make the decision to have a New Year's resolution. Some of you may make the resolution to spend more time with your family, go to church more often, read more, relax more, etc. However, most of you will make the decision to lose weight.
Losing weight for the New Year is extremely popular and it's no wonder considering that 65% of the U.S. population is considered to be overweight and 30-35% is considered obese. Besides, you also want to look and feel better for the upcoming and spring and summer months. Getting started on a weight loss program is good for any reason, especially if you are overweight or obese. Unfortunately, the chances are you are going to attack your problem the wrong way and you may not be looking at the long-term reasons for losing weight. It has been shown that 93.8% of those who make New Year's resolutions to lose weight drop out by the end of January.
With this free report, you are going to learn what it takes to do it right! You are going to learn why you haven't been doing it right to begin with and what it takes to do it right.
So, here it is:
Reason 1: Lack of Knowledge and Inappropriate Technology
Because of expert marketing and feeding on your desires, you have been misled into believing that there is one single answer to help you lose weight. Everything from the Atkins Diet to the ThighMaster has been thrown at you in books, TV, magazines, and many other forms of media. Someone popular like a Hollywood actress or someone who is even deemed credible (like a medical doctor) generally endorses these products or programs. The endorsers will make the claim that they have found “the” solution to getting fit and/or losing weight. However, most of these products, diets, and programs are misleading and may even cause you harm.
Because of expert marketing and feeding on your desires, you have been misled into believing that there is one single answer to help you lose weight. Everything from the Atkins Diet to the ThighMaster has been thrown at you in books, TV, magazines, and many other forms of media. Someone popular like a Hollywood actress or someone who is even deemed credible (like a medical doctor) generally endorses these products or programs. The endorsers will make the claim that they have found “the” solution to getting fit and/or losing weight. However, most of these products, diets, and programs are misleading and may even cause you harm.
Everything such as injuries from P90X, gaining more weight back after getting off the Atkins diet, and even death from taking weight loss pills has been reported. All of these products and programs have one common theme- LOSE WEIGHT FAST!
What I am about to tell you is just the simple facts of what it takes to lose weight and keep it off, safely and effectively for long-term results. Whether you are male or female, tall or short, or whatever, there are three components that you need to implement into your lifestyle to keep the fat off:
- Resistance Training at least 3 Times a Week
- Do Cardiovascular Exercise at least 3-5 Times a Week within a Target Heart Rate Zone (intensity needs to be high enough to get a benefit)
- Eat in Balance, Moderation, and Variety Throughout the Day
Those 3 components are the only things that have been proven to work in scrutinized studies. Diets have proven to do more harm than good, because you gain the weight back with interest.
There are actual answers to how to eat right and exercise right, but you have to research them. I will also warn you to not go by what your buddy or family members are doing, no matter what results they are getting. Unless they are utilizing the 3 components above to help them lose weight, then don't try what they are trying.
Reason #2: Poor Planning for Behavioral Change
Here is a tip that can help you with your strategy.
- Write Down Realistic and Measurable, Short-Term and Long-Term Goals and Determine How You Are Going To Accomplish Them - Write down how many days a week you are going to exercise and at what time. Schedule your exercise routines. Write down what you should have done by the end of one month, three months, six months, and twelve months. You may have to make changes to the plan and allow flexibility. That’s okay. What matters is that you have a plan. The purpose of the plan is to change behavior!
Be S.M.A.R.T.
Specific- Be exact in the behaviors you want to develop to achieve the goal(s).
Measurable- Answer the questions like how much weight you want to lose, how many push-ups you want to perform, and time it takes you to finish a 5K.
Attainable- Choose a goal that takes some effort but is within your reach. Remember to choose short-term action goals instead of trying to make one huge leap to the end goal(s).
Realistic- Don't fall into the trap of quick-fix thinking like losing 10 pounds in 10 days. Be reasonable and choose something like 1-2 pounds per week. Also be realistic in the amount of time you have to dedicate toward a fitness program.
Timely- Be specific in the amount of time you spend doing cardio and resistance training. Look at your calendar and schedule the days you exercise in advance. You should even plan in advance the time of day you eat. Allow just enough flexibility as necessary.
To create an effective strategy, you may need to get with a professional. By using a knowledgeable health and fitness instructor, you can find all the answers and get a customized strategy to your weight loss efforts. Professional trainers especially help with the next two reasons New Year's resolutions don't work. Click here to learn what makes trainer a professional.
Reason #3: Lost Motivation
Sure, you've been committed for a couple of weeks. You've joined the health club or weight loss center, but as soon as you feel too tired or it becomes inconvenient to your liking, you'll go right back into your old habits. Worst of all, if you don't see dramatic results you become discouraged and want to quit.
As I mentioned earlier, you have been misinformed. You must understand that most of these quick weight loss methods are not realistic long-term solutions. Consider the amount of time it took you to gain the weight. You don't just add 10 pounds of body fat in 10 days, so you're not going to lose body fat in that amount of time either.
Weight is nothing more than gravity pulling an object toward Earth. The truth is, weight loss is not what you are trying to achieve, but it's a decrease in body fat. So if you don't accept that it may take some time to build your metabolism to burn more fat and in turn you lose weight, you’re going to give up.
To stay motivated, here are a few tips:
- Create a Plan.
- Set Realistic Expections. Do your research on what your expectations should really be. WebMD.com is a good place to start.
- Seek Support. Find people that are currently doing all the right things (resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, and eating right) and seek support from them.
- Make it fun. Be careful here. Your exercise program should be fun, but don't rely on activities such as yoga, aerobic classes, hiking, tennis, and swimming to get you in shape alone. Those are activities you do after you lose weight and get fit. What you can do is add a variety of weight lifting and cardiovascular exercises. Do the basics first, then implement other activity.
- Hire a Professional. Last and definitely not least, if you know that you are not going to make it on your own, then you better get a professional personal fitness trainer. Working with a professional who uses positive affirmations and creates a realistic strategy can keep you motivated.
Reason #4: No Accountability
When it comes to holding yourself accountable to exercise and eating right it is difficult. You are relying on yourself. You can't just say you are going to do it. Plus, you can tell yourself you can put it off another day. One day then leads to the next
If you are going to try to hold yourself accountable to your friends or family members, forget about it (in most cases). They may say something to you a couple of times, but then they will stop saying anything at all because they don't want to damage the relationship. Besides, if they are not doing what you are doing, then they are not effective role models. Seeking their support is fine, but having them hold you accountable won't work.
When it comes to holding yourself accountable to a regimented exercise program and meal plan, you will have to one or both of the following:
Write It Down - Studies have proven that writing down everything from what you eat to the exercises you do, can improve your ability to commit to the program. By writing down what you do, you will have a sense of accomplishment. It will also allow you to see what you have been doing, so that you can make changes. Just like writing notes for a class or writing notes at your place of business to remind you of things, writing down your eating and exercise habits cultivates habitual change.
Many years ago a Yale University study found that 3% of the students had written down specific goals. Twenty-two years later, a follow-up with those students revealed that the goal-writing 3% had achieved more that the other 97% put together. They were not drifters. They had goals in their life. Sociologists find that 95% of people never have any written goals, but of the 5% that do have written goals, 95% of that 5% reached their goals.
Get a Coach - If all else fails, then you need a coach. Hire someone of which there is no emotional attachment and they will not be scared to say how it is. A study at John Hopkins University found that 93.8% of those who create New Year's resolutions drop out by the end of January. Another study at Virginia Polytechnic University demonstrated that those who had a coach increased their likelihood of success by 2200%. This was a controlled study where there were two large groups, one with a coach and the other without. It just makes plain, simple sense.
Warning! Beware of those who call themselves coaches and have no formal education to create safe and effective programs. Be even more careful of those programs that have cookie-cutter programs that have you do the same thing over and over again, without any form of continual attention. Their programs are cheap, but what value do they offer?
Reason #5: Fear of Failure
I had mentioned before that you may have an idea of what to do, but you are not doing it. You realize that eating a balance diet of lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, and drinking water is good for you. However, is that what you are doing?
Well known motivational speaker and behaviorist, Tony Robbins, mentions that there are two factors that drives our behavior. Those two drivers are: Gaining Pleasure and Avoiding Pain. I've coined this as the Pain/Pleasure Ratio. There are instances where we need to avoid pain and there are instances that we deserve the right to gain pleasure. Likewise, there are some things where pain is needed to gain future pleasure and instances where instant pleasure can lead to future pain.
What I have discovered in regards to one losing weight is that you usually are looking for instant results, or instant pleasure. Moreover, what I have found is that most programs or products that leads to quick gratification leads to more pain in the future. Let me give you an example that may at first seem a little left-field, but once I continue I think you will understand.
Think about a drug addict. Their goal in life is to seek instant gratification. They need to get that instant high or buzz. In time, their emotional, mental, and physical state begins to deteriorate. They will beg, borrow, and steal and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Now, think about this- Every time you go through a drive-thru, isn't it instant gratification that you seek? How about eating a candy bar from standing in the line at a grocery store?
Here is the spin that will help you understand better. Earlier, I mentioned the quick weight loss schemes such as taking a pill or drinking Slim Fast all day. These things will give you the instant gratification of losing weight quick. However, you inevitably get more pain in the long-run. You will gain the weight back, plus some. The funny part is (not really funny), as you spent your time to get instant results, you are avoiding the pain.
You avoid the pain of showing up a health club to exercise. You avoid the pain of cooking your own food. Oddly, the pain to do these things leads to future pleasure. You look better, therefore, your confidence improves. You're able to enjoy things that are as mundane as playing with your kids or grandkids. People begin to make comments about your energy and your stamina. Overall, your health improves, because your cholesterol is down and your blood sugar is controlled. Ironically, fad diets and tricky programs will help you lose weight in a hurry. Yet the other benefits are not there. They don't get you healthy, you just lose weight and the results can be quite damaging.
Here you are again, overweight and unhappy. Even though you may know what to do, you avoid the pain for one reason and one reason alone- Fear of Failure! You're afraid that if you put all this time and energy into something, that you might fail. Sadly, if this is what you feel, then you might be right.
Henry Ford once said, "Whether you say you can or you can't, either way you are probably right." Think about everything that you said you couldn't do. Think of all the times you said, "if only I had done this 10 years ago." Well, it's not too late. It's never too late to get in shape.
There are other things in your life that required you to take risks. You bought a home, even though you knew you would have to keep it up or it could catch on fire. You've made other investments in your life that had risks, so invest into yourself. Besides, what is to fear in what has been proven to work?
My Last Words:
I appeal to you this, stop the Yoyo dieting, buying of exercise videos and contraptions you’re not going to use, and just start taking care of yourself the way your supposed to. Consider the amount of time you spend watching TV, going out to eat, and over-working. The facts are this: When you implement a lifestyle of healthy eating habits and weekly exercise, not only will you begin to lose weight (body fat), but you will keep it off. Best of all, you will feel more energetic, be healthier, decrease the likelihood of developing injuries and disease, be stronger, decrease stress, have muscle tone, improve vitality, think clearer, and on and on. Everything else I just mentioned are things that you cannot achieve with a fad diet, a pill, or contraption you bought from a TV infomercial.
I appeal to you this, stop the Yoyo dieting, buying of exercise videos and contraptions you’re not going to use, and just start taking care of yourself the way your supposed to. Consider the amount of time you spend watching TV, going out to eat, and over-working. The facts are this: When you implement a lifestyle of healthy eating habits and weekly exercise, not only will you begin to lose weight (body fat), but you will keep it off. Best of all, you will feel more energetic, be healthier, decrease the likelihood of developing injuries and disease, be stronger, decrease stress, have muscle tone, improve vitality, think clearer, and on and on. Everything else I just mentioned are things that you cannot achieve with a fad diet, a pill, or contraption you bought from a TV infomercial.
Ultimately, you will achieve ultimate pleasure. Everything in your life will be sweeter and more enjoyable. What is to fear in that? You just have to get in the habit of incorporating healthy living as a lifestyle, not as an event. Sure, it takes time and effort, but so does everything else.
Contacting me:
If you’re interested in making a true change in your life for long-term results, then you can contact me the following ways:
e-mail: kellyhuggins@fitnesstogether.com
Call: 404.303.8305
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