5 Tips to Stick to New Year's Resolutions
Say goodbye to half-finished goals and abandoned resolutions. Seriously! The days of forsaken new year’s resolutions are no longer.
As we enter the month of February, it is safe to say that the new year is in full swing. Alas, it is also probably safe to assume that those oh-so-optimistic new year’s resolutions are hitting that mid-February slump.
If you can relate, don’t fret! Because we can too. (And according to US News, 80% of resolution-ers are right there with us!)
When they’re made with such good intentions, how do our goals for getting fit, taking care of ourselves, and improving our lives become so elusive? What is it about new year’s resolutions that makes them so terribly hard to stick to?
Well, the answer is incredibly simple. (And the solution: even simpler.) Lucky for you, we’re going to do a deep dive on getting those new year’s resolutions to stick.
If Your Goal Relates to Movement
It is probably a shock to none to hear that many new year’s resolutions involve movement and improving one’s health and fitness. From dieting to joining a gym to jogging twice a week to finally trying out that spin class, there are all sorts of fitness-related goals that people make.
But of course, how many of these goals stick?
The truth of the matter is that any kind of major change creates a bit of emotional friction that you and your body must be prepared to handle. Your goals to exercise more or follow a trendy new diet are doomed to fail if you haven’t readied yourself to handle the inevitable stress and discomfort that comes with such lifestyle changes.
In other words: unless you first change your mindset, you can’t expect your health and fitness goals to magically materialize.
If your goals reflect drastic changes to your daily routine — say exercising significantly more or following a strict diet plan — they can cause you severe emotional stress and anxiety. Your body, quite literally, will start to panic.
To combat such things from happening, it is important to make sure that your goals are accessible. If you haven’t gone on a run since high school, maybe don’t resolve to run five days a week. Instead, commit to running just once a week, say on Sunday afternoons.
By ensuring your goals are realistic and accessible, you are more likely to be able to foster the mental and emotional capacity needed to achieve them.
Similarly, if your goal is simply to exercise more, you might overwhelm your body and your brain with its vastness and breadth. To make this goal more manageable — and less overwhelming! — you could join a class through our Boutique Fitness Studio instead.
R+R’s Boutique Fitness Studio offers high-quality classes (ranging from barre to Pilates to yoga to HIIT and more!) that welcome all fitness levels. The instructors are ultra-knowledgeable, and it is their job to design workout programs that work for you and your body.
Bonus: Since we only offer smaller classes, there’s an instant accountability factor making you less likely to skip. In addition, you get that 1:1 coaching and motivation often missed in larger studios where you can easily become (and remain) anonymous.
If regular movement is a new addition to your lifestyle, a fitness studio is a terrific way to ease yourself into it. By submitting your movement goals to someone else’s guidance and expertise, your mind is released from the pressure to simply figure it all out itself.
If Your Goal Relates to Self-Care
Another ultra-popular new year’s resolution — especially after the year or two we’ve been through — is crafting a self-care regime.
While there is a lot of jabber surrounding what you should be including in your self-care routine, the key is to fill it with activities that you love and will look forward to after a long day.
If you commit to things simply because they’re trendy, you won’t be as motivated to stick to them. Instead, you should incorporate activities in your self-care routine that recharge and make you, personally, feel good. Here are some ideas:
Gratitude journaling
Practicing yoga or another kind of movement
Sweating it out in an infrared sauna
Taking daily walks around the neighborhood
Enrolling in a dance class
Getting holistic bodywork done (which, for those of you who might not know, brings alignment and balance through physical movement and emotional integration, working to dissipate tension throughout the body and regulate the nervous system)
Treating yourself to a clean blow dry bar
Relaxing with a detoxifying foot soak
Sure, we might be a smidge biased, but if any of those sound good to you, we encourage you to consider an R+R membership. Just like a fitness studio makes it easier to tackle your exercise goals, our memberships are carefully curated to help you heal, optimize, and thrive in the realm of relaxation, restoration, and self-care.
And as an R+R member, you’re able to maximize our offerings (those listed above and so many more!) for a fabulous discount.
5 Tips for Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolution
So, cheers! The days of abandoned new year’s resolutions are no longer!
Truly, it doesn’t matter if your resolution involves movement, self-care, or something else entirely. Here are a few things that will help you stick to your new year’s resolution, no matter what it may be:
1. Stick to the Small Things
As we mentioned, our brains aren’t designed to handle drastic amounts of change at once. To see real progress, we must be patient and grow ourselves over time.
If your new year’s resolutions are incredibly lofty and far-reaching, consider reframing them to make them more accessible. If you live a relatively sedentary lifestyle, your movement journey can begin simply by taking daily walks around the neighborhood.
Real change is made in small doses. Consider the daily habits or challenges that are holding you back, and then commit to changing one of those.
2. Find Ways to Measure Your Goals
It is easy to lose heart chasing after goals that don’t seem to be making much progress. Therefore, it is so important to make sure that your goals are specific and measurable.
This could mean anything from running a particular 5k that you have circled on the calendar to reading a certain number of books by a particular date.
Being able to mark your progress is a fabulous motivator, and rewarding yourself along the way is a great way of fostering positive reinforcement.
3. Trust Yourself
Now isn’t that a lovely concept? Self-trust is a beautiful component of goal-making, as goals are made by you, for you, and through you!
When it comes to setting goals and intentions, you know yourself the best. You know what you are capable of. If you don’t think that you’re going to be able to meditate for 30 minutes every morning, then don’t promise yourself that you will.
If we want to accomplish our goals, we must believe in ourselves. Self-belief is achieved when we successfully do the things that we say we will. And we’re able to do what we say when we don’t ask more of ourselves than what we are capable of.
4. Cultivate a Culture of Optimism
How are you ever going to achieve those goals if you keep telling yourself that you aren’t? Our minds are smarter than we give them credit, and our self-talk plays a significant role in what we can and can’t accomplish.
Making real change in one’s life is a long, hard road that is probably littered with negativity and less-than-ideal circumstances. When these obstacles start rearing their ugly heads, it is important to focus on the positives. (No matter how dark, dim, and dreary a situation, we promise they are there.)
Framing your goals in positive language supports a growth mindset and encourages the belief that anything is possible if you work at it. This in turn sparks motivation, positive self-perception, and helps build character strength.
On the flip side, pessimism is — are you ready? — a choice. I know we probably sound like your mama, but it’s true. Negativity will only get in the way of your goals if you let it.
5. Invent Challenges for Yourself
Practically speaking, inventing challenges for yourself is a terrific way to ensure your dreams become reality. Not only that, but it strengthens your ability to see and do.
As you go about your days, challenge yourself to do something small that works towards your goal. If your goal is to save money, challenge yourself to spend no more than a certain amount at the grocery. If you’re looking to eat a bit healthier, try preparing your favorite treat sans sugar.
Challenges such as these strengthen your willpower and determination. Regularly practicing them will help you form the habits necessary for accomplishing your goals.
What Is Valuable to You?
Oftentimes, our new year’s resolutions reflect desires that are near and dear to our hearts. Here at R+R, we’re all about full-body healing that is tailored to your personal needs.
All our services are synergistic in nature, meaning there truly is no wrong place to start! Give our services page a quick browse, and we’ll help you navigate the best place for YOU to start on your wellness journey.