Ever since the Babylonians began celebrating the New Year 4,000 years ago and resolved to return something they borrowed from a neighbor the previous year, humans have made resolutions. And for 4,000 years, we haven’t been very good at keeping those resolutions. In fact, we can’t even agree that it was the Babylonians that actually started the tradition. So, with the new year upon us, we want to address why resolutions fail and then discuss how you can make a resolution this year that you can stick with. We have even laid out the basic framework for you with our COMMIT 2 BE FIT 10 week program.Each year, millions of Americans resolve to lose weight, exercise more, make more money and quit or cut back on a vice (such as smoking or drinking). While these are reasonable and often necessary changes to make, we have a difficult time seeing the resolution through. This is because we bite off more than we can chew — expecting sweeping results in a short amount of time.
Everyone can be successful in keeping their resolutions. Failure is not about you as a person. Resolutions fail the majority of the time because people initially set their goals too high or do not take the time to plan how they will accomplish their resolutions. You might just need to put a little more time and effort into planning and structuring the resolution. That is where 241 Fitness comes in. We are taking the guess work out of the whole process, breaking it down into bite size pieces that are tempered with flexibility and suggestions to allow for success.
There is a process to planning a successful resolution. Intellectually we all know that we should make behavioral changes in our lives. Maybe it’s a collective guilt trip over our indulgence as a society, but the problem is that we have become accustom to instant gratification and a ‘super size me’ mentality. So there in lies the rub - CHANGE is a long term proposition and not a quick fix. Some good news is that 241 Fitness has developed a "short" 10 week tracking sheet that follows the SMART theory to get you started on the right foot toward your "long term" resolution journey.
The SMART Theory
S-Specific: What exactly is your resolution? What are you going to do to attain it? Make it clearly defined and simple.
M-Measurable: How long? How much? What are the milestones you’ll reach along the way?
A-Attainable: Make it reasonable. Don’t expect to lose 50 pounds in 3 months. How about 5 to 8 pounds a month for X amount of months? Or just a pound a week for these 10 weeks?
R-Rewarding: You have to stop and reward yourself along the way. Small rewards for reaching modest milestones will keep you motivated and keep you positive.
T-Time-limited: Set an end date for your resolution. The last thing you want to do is keep it open ended, because you’ll have less focus. At the same time, make sure you give yourself enough time to attain your main goal.
With your new SMART thinking, coming up with a reasonable resolution should be fairly easy. If you follow these rules and commit to life style changes for the first 10 weeks, you’ll have a much better chance for success. After you have set your final resolution, decide what milestone you will want to reach by week #5 and then by week #10. If you find yourself at week #5 having accomplished your short term goal, wonderful! If you missed the mark, find out why. Reassess that you didn't set the bar too high, that you didn't fall off the exercise wagon, or develop food amnesia, then make any adjustments needed to reach your goal by week #10. Whatever you do by all means stay positive! It is a critical aspect of keeping your resolution. So, if the resolution appears to be slowly going awry, the key is to examine your thoughts and behaviors then focus on the benefits of achieving your resolution versus the emotions of what it takes working for it.
Need more good advice? Don’t go it alone. Join into this challenge with your friends and family or let us know what you’re 10 week goal is and how you're doing. Not only will we encourage you along the way, but you’ll also feel accountable for your resolution, giving you added incentive to see your resolution to fruition. With a positive attitude, and a little help from your friends, you can adopt your new behavior for life.
The beauty of a new year is that we get a clean slate and we can let go of last year’s baggage. Join the Party!
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