How to Succeed at a New Year's Resolution

Research shows that a New Year’s resolution can be very effective, as long as you have the right approach (you can watch the fun little video by Doctor Mike Evans at the end of this post to see why).

Here are my top tips on how you succeed with your New Year’s resolution!

Don’t just make a New Year’s resolution, make a plan

Whatever your New Year’s resolution is, chances are that it won’t happen unless you have a solid plan for success. So take your resolution a step further and write down a real plan for what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it.

Set realistic short-term goals

Getting in beach body shape before summer is a good New Year’s resolution, but it probably won’t make you actually get to the gym on a cold Monday in January.

If your goal is too long-term, you will always try to convince yourself that there is plenty of time left to reach it, so you might as well wait a few days to get started.

You will surely feel more motivated by then and have more time, right? Probably not!

Instead, set weekly goals that you can measure. It can be a number of times each week you work out, running a longer distance than last week, adding more weight to your lifts, losing (or gaining) a certain amount of weight, etc. Anything that motivates you.

Go for the low hanging fruits

If your New Year’s fitness resolution is a major lifestyle change, don’t try to do everything at once unless you are REALLY motivated.

It’s better to have a goal of working out twice per week and then doing it, than aiming for five workouts per week and not do anything after the first month because it’s too much for you.

Make a list of smaller things you know you can do, and work your way up to the big goals from there. The feeling of success and accomplishment you will get from reaching your smaller goals will help motivate you for the big ones.

Get help and support

Everything is easier if you do it with a friend. If you make your plans and set your goals together, you can also motivate each other and keep each other accountable when sticking to the plan becomes hard.

Even if you can’t find someone who shares your New Year’s fitness resolution, tell your friends and family what you are doing and ask for support. Just telling others what you are doing will make you more likely to actually do it.

If you want professional help and support, you can also sign up for diabetes coaching with me 😀

Bonus tip: Making a bet with a friend about who reaches their goal first can be a great source of motivation. Putting a nice restaurant dinner on the line (that the loser has to pay for) will make you work your butt off to win. Just remember to keep it friendly and only do it with someone you know will stay your friend – win or lose.

If you follow these tips, you will most likely succeed with your New Year’s resolution. If you don’t believe me, let Doctor Mike Evans explain the science of New Year’s resolutions and why you should have one:

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