Every December, millions of people create some type of New Year’s Resolution. Often, they revolve around weight-loss and health. Sadly, most of these people will fail to reach their goals. Usually, the problem is not the effort but the structure of how these goals are accomplished. Below are the top 5 reasons that I have seen people fail and how you can fix this so that 2021 is your best year ever.
1. Goals Are Not Specific Enough: When people say things like, “I want to lose weight or be healthy” I grow concerned because these are not actually goals. These are really just a way that they want to see themself or have others see them. The goal should be what would have to happen to make that a reality. For example, they could say that they want to lose 35 lbs of fat in 8 months or improve blood pressure and cholesterol back to the normal range by October. A goal should be quantifiable and have a timed component. This allows you to break that goal down into smaller chunks and create a manageable plan. When you write your goals out, think quantitatively, what it will take to reach that vision you have of yourself. Be as specific as possible and try to hit several data points. For example, “I want to lose 35 pounds, reduce my body fat by 20%, add 5 pounds of muscle, drop 3 waist sizes, decrease my mile time by 2 minutes.” That sounds A LOT better than, “I want to lose weight and run faster”. The more specific you are, the easier it is to make a plan that will get results.
2.The Plan Sucks: This is usually the result of non-specific goals and insufficient research. For example, if weight-loss is your goal, seek a legitimate expert to work with so you can craft a realistic plan. That works a lot better than going HAM in the gym and starving yourself. A great plan will scale up in difficulty as you improve and should be built around your typical life pressures. That will keep you on track. The best plan is the one you can actually execute. Many people wrongly believe that they need some sort of complicated diet and exercise routine to get in shape. What they really need is something that they can stick to over the long term. Consistency is king. I would rather a client lose 1 pound a week for a year, than 10 pounds a week for 3 weeks with a crash and burn at the end. The first person will have lost 52 pounds and the second will have lost 30 but likely will have gained it back by the end of the year.
3. Too Much Too Soon: This is a side effect of a terrible plan. When trying to lose weight, I often hear people say that they need to be on a “strict” diet or it won’t work. The truth is that doesn’t work either. If it did work, they’d still be on it and they would have reached their goals long ago. Your plan needs to be sustainable and somewhat flexible. Life can easily take you off track, if you let it. If your plan is so strict that even a small disruption can completely disrupt your process, then it’s probably not the right plan for you. Even if the same exact plan that worked for someone else.
4. They Lack Support: This is a huge one! One of the biggest reasons people fail with their goals is they do not have the support of their significant other or friends and family to properly execute their plan. Even with support, this type of change is going to be incredibly difficult. Recruit your loved ones to help you and keep you accountable. This will remove so much stress from the process. Make it a team effort.
5. They Lack Long Term Discipline: Everyone starts with lots of motivation, but the problem is that motivation starts to taper off as you get deeper into your program or as you begin to see results. That is why you need to develop discipline. A huge part of this is also having a realistic plan. If you plan to eat a perfectly clean diet and exercise 6 days a week, but have never done any of that, what are your chances for success? Pretty close to zero. The more stuff you pile on, the more willpower you need to accomplish everything. This can be draining and typically leads to an “F it” type of moment. Instead, create a realistic plan that allows you to scale your lifestyle to accommodate those things as the year goes on. It is ok to start small and add layers to your lifestyle every few weeks. You will be surprised at how far that will take you. Discipline will help build the habits that will create your success.
The formula for success is not complicated but that does not mean that change will be easy. Of course it will be hard at times. If you get off track, relax, you are in the majority, dust yourself off and get back at it. Also, this process works for just about anything, not just weight-loss. Start with specific goals, create a reasonable plan, recruit help from loved ones and execute!