5 Reasons Why Can’t We Keep Our New Year’s Resolutions and How to Change That

Once again, it is the time of year when people everywhere try to make huge changes in their lives. I see this so often as a Pilates Instructor. The Pilates studio becomes very packed as those that have made fitness a resolution start to pack the classes and private sessions. Then some of the regulars decide to go away for a little while until the resolutioners resolve to go back to their old ways. I work very hard to motivate and teach the newcomers while keeping the more experienced clients challenged. But still it happens every year. Once Valentine’s Day comes around and people have not yet lost a bunch of weight overnight, or haven’t become the perfect vision they imagined in just over a month they quit and go back to what was comfortable. They stay in that comfortable place until it becomes uncomfortable again and resolve to change everything again around the first of the year and the cycle continues. I am not pointing fingers just giving a view of what I have seen and also have been guilty of this myself.

 

I was thinking about this cycle and wondered why it keeps happening. Why is it so hard to do well for ourselves? Why is it so hard to choose health? There are many contributing factors but I think there are a few big reasons:

 

1. Pleasure- “But unhealthy food tastes better!” If there is a lot of salt, fat and preservatives in your diet those things dull your taste buds so that your palate cannot taste and enjoy the simple delicious flavors of fresh, healthy food. I have always loved vegetables. When I was a teenager I ate like most teenagers do and ate a lot of preservatives, fat and salt. I finally came to my senses at 17 and started to change my diet. I had a long journey but my palate changed and I could taste flavors in fresh food that I had never tasted before. My taste buds were no longer paralyzed and I began to prefer the flavors of clean eating.
2. Energy- “I am tired at the end of a long work day and just want to go home and relax. I don’t have then energy to go exercise.” I have chronic fatigue from a long battle with Lyme Disease so I understand being tired and not wanting to exercise. I was not allowed to exercise aside from walking for a year while I was undergoing treatment because it exhausted me too much. When I was finally cleared for exercise I did not know where to start. I decided I needed to start slow and small and I needed some motivation. I got a Wii Fit and started with that. I did not do much but I liked being able to keep track of what I was doing and having little rewards within the games, like unlocking new exercises, to keep going. That year I began my Pilates teacher training. That was a hard transition but I had goals and kept reaching them and extending them. I was so encouraged by everyone at the Pilates studio. They saw the potential in my body and kept me safe but challenged within my workouts so I could climb that slow ladder back to physical fitness in my then tired, atrophied, painful body. I found after a while that exercise no longer gave me more fatigue but it gave me more energy and my stamina within the exercises increased as well.
3. Time- “I don’t have time to exercise.” But I do have three hours to sit on the couch and watch TV. Exercise is something that as adults we have to make time for. If I had a dollar for every time I heard a client say they wish they had started doing Pilates earlier I would be a very rich woman. I see people of all fitness levels and different socioeconomic status everyday. Some people are really great about making time to exercise and some people let other things get in the way. I have seen the other side of it where people have not taken care of themselves and end up in a nursing home with a rapid decline in their health at a young age. We are all getting older everyday and the rate at which we age is often affected by how we take care of ourselves. I had a very dedicated client that was 81 and had exercised every day of her life. She did not look 81 and she could do exercises people in their twenties have trouble doing. What we do today will affect our how our bodies and minds will be in the future. This is why I make time now to exercise rather than put it off until later. There are a few ways to overcome this excuse. First of all figure out what time of the day works for you to be active. Then pick a type of exercise you like even if it is just taking a walk at lunch and schedule it on your calendar. Stick to the schedule as best you can. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a workout but just start fresh the next day.
4. Motivation- “I am not motivated to be healthy.” Living a healthy lifestyle takes, preparation, time and energy. That can be a lot of changes to make in today’s busy world. Sometimes juggling work and family we can lose motivation to then take care of ourselves. This is where knowing what moves you can help to keep you on track. Everyone responds to different motivation so you have to figure out what works for you. Goals are often a universal motivator. I like to keep my clients informed of what the goal of exercises or groups of exercises in Pilates are so they know what they are working toward. Non-food rewards are great motivators. Sometimes a new book or a massage is good motivation for keeping up with those goals. Whatever it is that motivates you figure it out and remember that.
5. Overwhelmed- “There is too much to do to be healthy so I just won’t do anything.” Baby steps first. If you set manageable goals or small goals that lead up to a big goal it is much easier to accomplish than a huge overwhelming goal. Some people are all or nothing and some are much better with smaller objectives to reach the resulting target. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed with the end product don’t think about that. Think about what you can do today or this week to get you one step closer and then do it. Having accountability can be extremely helpful in terms of keeping resolutions. I know not everyone can afford a personal trainer or a life coach but find someone or something to keep you accountable and that will help you to be motivated to achieve those goals.

Destination

I am a Pilates Instructor and I have found that goals are incredibly important when I am teaching. Instead of just flopping about and not knowing where you are going in an exercise it’s helpful to have a destination. Whether that destination is knowing the next version of the exercise is or just how many repetitions have to be done it makes it much easier to do what is asked. It’s like having a roadmap leading you along the way rather than wandering directionless. If I know that the goal is to flow through the exercises without stopping that is going to change my workout. We often need to be reminded of where we are going even if we know it like the back of our hand. There is usually another way than the usual way that is helpful to explore.

I am at that point right now. I am taking stock of my goals and reminding myself of the goals I have accomplished. I am refreshing the goals that have yet to be met and am proud of my progress in that process. I am approaching the goals that have been harder to work on with a new mindset. Sometimes the process is recession before progression but I am working on the forward motion as much as I can. I just go back to my roadmap, changing the direction as needed but still moving forward.

It is easy to get caught up in the minutiae of life. I can easily get caught up in the minutiae of an exercise. But sometimes you need to zoom out and look at the big picture. I remind myself, I am here. I am working towards my goals. I am going to get this done even though it is not perfect. At the end of the day I will be one step closer. And then one day I am surprised when the goal is accomplished.

Is there a goal that you need to revisit? Let me know in the comments!

Re Solve or Resolve

Re solve or
Resolve
To fix again or
To fix for good

Change your day or
Change your ways
One step forward or
No looking back

Working toward a goal or
Making sure it’s met
Stressing about change
Or changing your stressors

Thinking about the future or
Working for a better future in the present
Finding the spark to get started
Or being the spark

What do you choose?