January 2023: Staying focused on your goals in the New Year

Yes, it’s January!  It’s the start of a new year, and if you’re like most people you have embarked on this new year with some big goals to make this your best year yet.  Unfortunately, if you’re like most people you’re probably starting to slip on your commitment to your goals.  Don’t feel too bad - depending on the source, 50-80% of people don’t make it to February before giving up on their New Year’s Resolutions, and it’s estimated that less than 10% of people actually stick to their goals for the whole year.

Even if you’ve started to slip, it’s not too late to get back on track. This month I want to talk about 3 common pitfalls that I see people fall into when it comes to setting health & fitness related goals, because if you don’t have a good goal then you’re less likely to be able to achieve it.  

Pitfall #1: Taking on too much:  This is one big mistake that people make when setting new goals.  We get so excited about embarking on the journey to the “new me” and we want to do it all.  Drink more water, eat clean, get more sleep, and get active every day.  It all seems like such a great plan when we’re feeling really excited and ready to dive in, but then we get back to “reality” after the long holiday weekend and everything falls apart.  What happened?  The problem is that you took on WAY TOO MUCH.  It’s so important to give ourselves some grace and remember that life is busy!  There are a lot of competing priorities and responsibilities and suddenly there’s not enough time in the day to get it all done.  

Most people blame their inability to see through their goals on lack of time, resources or motivation, and I can see why when we bite off more than we can chew.

The solution:  Set an ATTAINABLE goal:  Start small and build on your goals over time.
What’s most important is that you get started.  By setting an attainable goal you are more likely to feel a sense of accomplishment and success by meeting your goals each day.  If you take on too much and only achieve 50% of your goals it tends to create a sense of failure.  What’s crazy is that achieving 50% of “way too much” is still pretty damn good, but it just kills our mindset because as humans our brains tend to focus way too much on our so-called “failures” than our successes.  So start small and build upon your goals over time.  Consistent success on something small will inspire you to build upon your wins over time.

Pitfall #2:  Getting Distracted:  The other pitfall that I see people struggle with is getting distracted.  What I mean by this is that we get excited about our new goal and then we get distracted by all kinds of little things that we think we need to do to get started on our goal.  

Here’s an example - you decide that you want to start walking for 30 min each day, but before you get started you need a new pair of walking shoes, get the pedometer app working on your phone, and get your playlist just right.  Before you know it a month has gone by and you still haven’t found time to get to the shoe store, the pedometer app is more confusing than you thought, your earbuds just died….and, you're not walking!  Sound familiar?  I’ve found myself in this trap too.  

The solution: “Make the main thing the main thing”:  You don’t need any of those fancy things to get started at walking.  All you need is a comfortable pair of shoes and 30 minutes blocked on your calendar.  Your winter boots are probably just fine for a 30 min walk.  Instead of getting distracted by the perfect playlist, embrace the beauty of your surroundings and listen to the sound of the birds, the breeze, the kids playing in the park.  If you ever figure out the pedometer it will add an extra piece of interesting info about your walks but certainly not a requirement.  Focus on getting out for a walk.  That’s the main thing and don’t lose sight of that.

Pitfall #3:  Feelings of deprivation:  This pitfall is most common when it comes to focusing on nutrition based goals.  All too often we set goals such as “stop eating starchy carbs” or “eliminate sugar” but the problem is that as soon as you say you won’t eat something it’s all we think about!  We want it more than ever, not to mention that if you do manage to avoid starchy carbs or sugar for a few days, weeks or months, chances are you’ll dive headfirst into the next plate of mashed potatoes or ice cream the next time you have the opportunity.  ​

The Solution:  Focus on ADDING something healthy to your plate instead of taking something away. 

For example, instead of removing all starchy carbs from your meals consider committing to adding veggies (or more veggies) to every single meal.  In doing so you’ll feel fuller faster and will be less likely to over indulge on the mashed potatoes.  
By the way, potatoes are NOT bad…unless they're fried.  Keep the skins on so you benefit from all of the healthy nutrients that potatoes have to offer.  Just eat these starchy foods in moderation.  Your plate should ideally be 25% lean protein, 25% starchy carbohydrate and 50% veggies, with proper portion sizes.

Now that you have committed to a more realistic and attainable goal it’s time to make a plan to stick to your goals long term.  Here are 5 effective strategies for staying focused and committed to your goals for the long term, keeping in mind that life is not perfect.  ​

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Some days the action necessary to stick to our goals comes easily.  Other days, not so much.  And that’s okay.  What’s important is that we commit to facing each day as a new day.  If you commit to these 5 simple actions each day I am confident that you will succeed.
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1. Plan ahead - get your plans to be active onto your calendar.  Commit to them just as you do any other responsibilities in your life.  I’m sure you show up to your work appointments and doctor’s appointments.  It’s time to show up for YOURSELF.  If your goal is nutrition focused, make sure you have the healthy foods in the house and the not so healthy foods out of the house, and create a meal plan to stay on point when things get busy.  
2. Talk about it - tell your friends about your goals.  Share in your wins.  Be proud of your accomplishments.  Not only will doing so help you - you might just inspire others to commit to their own healthy goals.
3. Track your progress - Put a calendar on the fridge, or someplace where you’ll see it and put a BIG X on it each day that you stick to your goals.  When you start to see that streak building you’ll be inspired to keep it going.  It’s fun watching all of those Xs add up and who wants to break a streak?  How long can you keep it up?  And remember, if you break it, get right back on track.  Streaks can’t last forever, and you breaking it is not an indication of an inability to succeed.
4. Be kind to yourself - Seriously!  We are way too hard on ourselves and one thing that I see happen consistently is that people put way too much emphasis on what didn’t go well vs. what did go well.  ​Here’s an exercise for you to try:  At the end of each day make a list of everything that you did well to support your goals.  Then make a list of the things that you could have done better.  I bet that list of everything you did well is longer than what you could have done better….at least if you’re being honest with yourself and giving yourself the credit you deserve. Now here’s the hard part - take those judgy glasses off and look at what you could have done better through the lens of learning from failure.  Chances are that obstacle that you encountered that threw you for a bit of a loop will happen again.  Take a look, with the benefit of some hindsight, at what you could have done differently, and commit to doing just a little bit better next time. 
5. Rinse & Repeat:  The reality is that it takes PRACTICE to get good at anything, and this includes your healthy habits.  The more you practice, fail a little bit, and practice some more the better you’ll get.  Always remember that tomorrow is a new day.  Be committed to celebrating your wins, learning from your failures, and getting up to do it all again tomorrow.  

You’ve got this!  And if you need a little extra help the trainer team at Wilcox Wellness & Fitness is there to provide a little extra guidance, support, accountability….and love.  
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Learn more at www.wilcoxwellnessfitness.com or 
email me at [email protected]


References:

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2013/11/57643/portion-control
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/how-to/six-reasons-why-your-new-year-resolutions-dont-work/articleshow/88658576.cms
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisabodell/2022/12/19/new-years-resolutions-fail-do-this-instead/?sh=531352bf7c8b
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