Ditch the Resolutions to make 2018 your Healthiest yet

As we approach the end of 2017 many will be thinking about what New Year’s resolutions to make.

But is there any point in making them? If you think back to previous ones, are you still sticking to them?

Below I’ll give you an idea of how to upgrade your New Year’s resolutions for 2018.

Plus…I’ll show you one tactic I use which trumps any NY resolution. If you struggle for motivation, this one is for you.

First up, how to upgrade your resolutions.

Upgrade your Resolutions

Here are two resolutions I’ve heard before:

“My NY’s resolution is to go to the gym more.”

“My NY’s resolution is to get back in shape.”

To these I would ask:

What’s more? Define in shape? When will we do it? How will we do it? For how long?

Quite often our resolutions are not sustainable and don’t follow the SMART approach, which is:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time Bound

The SMART approach for the same goals

“I will go to the gym 3 times a week after work for 3 months, then create a new plan.”

With this goal you know exactly what you need to do, when you need to do it and for how long. It’s also easily achievable for most people and we can keep track of it easily.

One for losing weight could be:

“I’m going to track my food and drink using My Fitness Pal every day and aim to lose 2kg a month for 3 months. And will improve my food choices one week at a time.”

Being realistic…

SMART goals are great for really nailing down a specific goal. The more specific you can be the better. But it also has to be realistic.

If you’re not used to training and have a poor diet, trying to train 5 times a week and start intermittent fasting is unlikely to be something you can stick to for long.

Change takes time, patience and consistency. It’s better to make small changes often and gradually than trying to go all out from day 1.

Even if you have a SMART goal sometimes it can be hard to find the motivation. I get it, it happens to all of us.

The good news is this tactic below will help you with your motivation levels to make sure you smash through your goals.

The Trump Tactic

I don’t think I’ve ever made a proper NY resolution. And that’s because I prefer this tactic which is a more powerful motivator.

It’s very simple. First, you decide on a challenge to take on.

For example, I might want to run a 5km park run, a half marathon or do a triathlon. The key thing about this is that it has to be a real event.

Get involved…

Next you need to sign up for the event. It needs to be realistically achievable. So if you can’t swim, run or ride a bike trying to complete a triathlon in 12 weeks time might not be a realistic goal.

Start small and build up. Maybe you decide to take on a 5km park run in 3 months time.

IMPORTANT: Set the date and get your friends involved. Make sure you all know exactly which event you will be doing and book it in your diary. Make sure the event is not too far in the future. I’d recommend 12 weeks.

Pro Tip: This is an excellent training plan to improve your 5km run time.

How to get started…

Now you have the end goal, the unchangeable 5km event, it’s time to plan out your training plan.

First, you need to know where you’re at right now in terms of fitness and running ability.

From there you can set small goals each week to improve your running ability. Your aim is to be able to complete the distance first, then look to get faster second if you choose to.

For example, if you can run for 5 mins without stopping you could aim to add 1 min more each time you run until you can run for 30 mins without stopping.

That’s just one small step of the process, but it would get you to complete the 5km run.

Why it works…

Having a deadline is a great motivator. Whether it’s at work or a plane to catch, it gives you a target to hit. The same is true for fitness.

Making a plan is also important, which I wrote about in this post.

So, in summary, here are the key action points to get your started and make 2018 your best year yet.