Are you keeping your New Year’s Resolutions? Remember those? How are you doing on them?
If you are like many Americans that make New Year’s Resolutions, the answer is probably a resounding “no.” Statistically speaking, research has shown the following:
- By the end of January, approximately 64 percent of us have dropped our New Year’s Resolutions.
- By March 1st, more than 80 percent of us have dropped those New Year’s Resolutions and goals.
Anecdotally, you know it’s true because you can see this at the gyms: the crowds that created standing room only and long wait times for equipment have eased up or evaporated completely. The pool is empty, and there is room (once again) for you to roll out your yoga mat (don’t worry, grunty-farty guy is still there with you…gross).
So, I’ll ask you again:
- Are you keeping your New Year’s Resolutions?
- Are you still following the steps outlined in our Health and Fitness Renew You Kickstart?
Ouch! I thought so.
Lifestyle Choice vs. New Year’s Resolutions
It is tough to keep going, especially when life is busy and always chaotic. We rush like chickens with our head’s cut off as we run from thing to thing to thing. We will often gasp that there is no time to work out, eat healthy or take time to stop, breathe and think. Julie and I get it: we have been there, done that and bought several t-shirts.
Julie and I designed the Health and Fitness Renew You Kickstart to help you realize that this is a lifestyle choice. This isn’t a white-knuckle, gut-it-out diet plan where you go to extreme restriction for a limited time and then eat like no tomorrow.
That is what we typically do with our New Year’s Resolutions: we set off at a fast pace with a new diet plan that restricts food and pushes high intensity workouts. We have the best intentions and motivation at first. Our momentum and motivation are only temporary; after all, once I lose that 20 pounds, life will be good! I can go back to doing what I was doing because I met my goal and lost the weight.
We might see initial success on the scale, only to see that success stall as we hit a plateau. We also just had Super Bowl parties, have Valentine’s Day coming, and Spring Break is right around the corner. We start eating and drinking junk, and it can become no-holds-barred feasting.
I know: I had that same motivation and thoughts deep down inside when I started 14 different programs and later crashed and burned with them all. In fact, when you finally crash and burn, you’ll go back to eating and might put on everything you lost plus some. Ask me how I know! The struggle is real.
No, this is not diet. This is a LIFESTYLE CHOICE. We aren’t white-knuckling anything here. Julie and I are changing the way we think, act and live. This IS what we are doing now and how we are living our lives.
Again, there is no “dieting” here; there is just living a healthy lifestyle. We are making incremental changes to our minds and our bodies. In fact, Julie and I are taking a long-term perspective on all four pillars of Small Scale Life:
- We are getting healthy, improving my fitness, eating real food and losing this weight.
- We are living a simple life where we get rid of the mental and physical clutter that keeps weighing us down.
- We are going to be debt free and free of the fear of not having enough money to survive an emergency.
- We are going to build a community around us where we support each other and work together in good times and bad.
Notice how I wrote each of those four bullet points? We are DOING these things; they are not theoretical. These are not wishes; there are things we are doing. These are positive statements because they are successes and victories we will share together.
In this first quarter of 2019, we are focusing on the first pillar: improving our health and fitness. Julie and I continue to use our 24 Hour Plans, journal and get some kind of functional movement each day. We are making small, incremental changes, and we are showing up each day to do the work. Consistency is a key.
4 Tips for Keeping New Year’s Resolutions
Perhaps you developed New Year’s Resolutions or started the Health and Fitness Renew Your Kickstart, but lost motivation or even fell off the wagon. Don’t worry, you can start again! Today is a new day, and you can start at any time. As you ramp up your efforts, keep the following 4 Tips for Keeping New Year’s Resolutions:
- Get an accountability partner – As my son and ultra-marathoner Danny Domres said in a recent podcast, “The opposite of addiction is connection.” Many of us addicted to foods, soda or even alcohol to one extent or another. Working with someone can help motivate you when you lose steam and “don’t feel it this today.” A good accountability partner has your back and will keep you on task, even when times are hard. After all, you don’t want to let that accountability partner down! You can find accountability partners in the Small Scale Life Facebook Group or you can contact Julie or me. Julie and I are STILL following the Health and Fitness Renew You Kickstart, and we are journaling every day. Reach out to us!
- Start small; go low and slow – Too many of us go all out after we haven’t been doing something for a long time. Then we get really, really frustrated when change doesn’t happen or when you are sore. Go low and slow, but do it consistently. It will help with your recovery and motivation. Small victories will give you momentum!
- Make it part of your daily routine – Block off some time every day to devote to your goal. Focus on doing activities that get you closer to that goal during that time. Do not get distracted by people or screens!
- Plan and journal about your progress using the 24 Hour Plan – Go to the Resources Page on Small Scale Life and print out some copies of the 24 Hour Plan. Start by planning your day. Fill out the planning portion of the sheet in the morning, and over the course of the day, take notes and document your progress. It might not seem like you are moving a mountain initially, but when you look back after a month or a year, you will see how far you have come!
Keep Going!
Change is hard. We are impatient creatures, and when results aren’t immediately seen, we throw up our hands and stop doing what we are doing. Keep going. Keep pushing yourself. You might be on the verge of a breakthrough, but you will never know if you give up.
Julie and I launched the 2019 Health and Fitness Renew You Kickstart a month ago. Since that initial push, we have had 42 people sign up for the Kickstart and join us on this journey to improve our health. I am thrilled to report that one of our participants lost 5 pounds. Julie is down 5 pounds. I have lost over 5 pounds. Julie and I are doing the work (working out and prepping meals) and making small, incremental changes each day. It is possible to lose weight, get stronger and change your mindset.
To change, you have to START!
Remember the Four Tips for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions and staying motivated for the Health and Fitness Renew Your Kickstart:
- Get an accountability partner
- Start small; go low and slow and just get a little better every day
- Make it part of your daily routine
- Plan and journal about your progress using the 24 Hour Plans
Start Today
If you missed joining the Health and Fitness Renew You Kickstart in early January, you can still join! If you started and fell off the wagon, you can start again!
Go to the 2019 Renew You Page on Small Scale Life and sign up there. You will get daily e-mails for the Kickstart (a week’s worth) and the 24 Hour Plan. Start and work at your own pace, but remember: you have to START.
Go get em, Lifers!
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Sources
I used the following sources for statistics for this post and podcast:
http://www.businessinsider.com/new-years-resolutions-courses-2016-12#time-management-2