New year, new resolutions, new you

When it comes to New Year’s promises, we’ve heard it all before. We pledge to start exercising at the gym, lose weight, get organised, and living life to the fullest. But why do we find it so hard to stick to them come January?

It’s because they’re often unrealistic! We fail because we set ourselves goals that we know we’re unlikely to meet.

Here we unpack why some of the common NY resolutions don’t work and offer a few alternative (realistic) suggestions to get the ball rolling.

The issue with the old

The pledge to exercise more is a common one. However, going to the gym in January isn’t fun. This is not necessarily because of the exercises, but because it gets crowded – so crowded, in fact, that it puts people off.

Analysis conducted by Strava a few years ago estimated that Americans are most likely to give up on this resolution as early as mid-January and it’s likely that the same trend could be identified among South African gym-goers.

If exercise is truly one of your goals, why not set up your gym membership towards the end of January or even in February when the gym resorts to normal levels of attendance. It means you can set yourself small, realistic exercises from the comfort of your home first before you work out with the masses. It’s certainly a far more comfortable way of getting back into exercise, particularly if you haven’t done any walking, jogging, or weightlifting in a while.

The baby steps

You can blame yourself for not achieving your goal all you like. But the reality is you tried to run before you could crawl. Successful NY resolutions is all about taking ‘baby steps and consistency.

Instead of striving for your perfect body, ensure that you put your thoughts into action. Whether this be one thing a week or one a month, a small start is better than no start at all. Commit to a time and day to do some exercise that you can realistically achieve and commit to in a day, e.g., a 15-minute walk. Increase the time and distance as you go on.

It’s the little things…

The little things in life are usually the best things, and so if you need any inspiration on where to start, here are some more realistic things you can achieve every day in 2022:

• Drink more water – it doesn’t get much simpler than this. But most of us get far from the recommended average of two litres per day, so improving your intake will also improve the relationship between you and your body. If you forget to drink water, why not download a hydration app, such as Aqualert or Daily Water Tracker.
• Sleep an extra hour each night. It can boost your mood, improve your health, and sharpen your brain function – so maybe that extra episode of Tiger King can wait until tomorrow. If you have trouble sleeping – there’s plenty of free apps that can help with that too.
• Make your bed every morning – accomplishing that first task of the day will give you that reassurance and pride to get the productive ball rolling.
• Take a regular walk – nothing beats a breath of fresh air. Exercise increases fitness whilst reducing the risk of various health conditions. However, the impact on your mental health cannot be underestimated. Don’t forget that various medical schemes, like Discovery and Momentum, reward you for doing exercises. These rewards can include a free hot drink and, in some instances, they can even help you pay off your fitness devices.
• Meditate for ten minutes each day. The benefits of meditation include less anxiety as well as improved concentration, self-awareness, and self-esteem.

Create a routine

Starting out on your NY resolution can be hard at first. But it gets easier. Studies show that it can take, on average, 21 days to form a new habit. If you break the 21-day barrier, chances are you’ll be smashing your goals left, right and centre.

But by starting small, you can meet these goals, gain some momentum, and the confidence to continue.