More than half of all New Year’s resolutions involve health, and, according to a Nielson survey, “stay fit and healthy” and “lose weight” were the two most common ones. Those stats, and the fact that you’re reading this means you, most likely, have professed such wishes.
There’s one problem: Those goals aren’t nearly specific enough for you to win. After all, they’re vague. What’s “fit” for one person may be different for another.
A better approach would be to set goals that you can better plan for, such as losing 15 pounds, running a 5K in 12 weeks, or adding 25 pounds to your bench press. This way, your goals are measured, and you’ll either accomplish them or not.
While having a defined goal is a good start, the odds of success hinge on a willingness to embrace change.
“Our brains are extremely effective in managing the status quo,” says John Sullivan, Psy.D., clinical sport psychologist and founder of Clinical & Sports Consulting Services. “However, we also have an outstanding ability to change—also known as self-directed neuroplasticity. Relying upon rituals and having plans when roadblocks develop will allow for more consistent progress.”
Here, we list fitness resolutions and the pitfalls you may encounter en route to the finish line—and expert advice on how to restart your New Year’s resolution if you get off course.
Benefit: You’ll be less inflamed, consume more nutrients, and enjoy more gains.
Setback: A monochromatic diet gets old fast and can create powerful cravings to cheat.
The Fix: Expand food variety and enhance flavors using healthy seasonings like ginger, turmeric, hot chili powder, sriracha, and other herbs and spices that are low in carbs or sugar. “Make meals memorable and something you crave, or else you’ll be quick to crave unhealthier things,” explains Leslie Bonci, R.D. “Eating should be an enjoyable occasion instead of a ‘hurry up and eat since I don’t like this anyway’ scenario. You won’t be successful if you don’t have flavor in what you do, both in life and your diet.”
Setback: You forgot to toss the holiday leftovers—and booze. Snacking on them creates a domino effect that ends with you resurrecting old eating habits.
The Fix: “Clear the clutter,” advises Bonci, owner of Active Eating Advice and sports dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Toronto Blue Jays, and 2020 Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs. It’s not enough to swear off new purchases of crappy food if you’ve still got a fridge and freezer full of crap. “Even though you packed your Christmas cookies away in the freezer so they’re not sitting out for easy munching, the plan is to stay away from empty calories—so why are they in there at all?”
Setback: After two weeks of training hard and dieting, you’re not as shredded as you expected to be, so you start cheating more because, well, why not?
The Fix: Be patient. “People often fail to understand that you cannot take off in one week what you have put on in 10 months,” says chef and former bodybuilder Carlo Filippone, CEO of Elite Lifestyle Cuisine. Don’t think of success in such absolute terms, either. If you slip once or twice out of 20 meals, you’re still doing well. “That’s a 90% success rate,” Filippone adds.
Setback: Things like work obligations or family emergencies are bound to pop up unexpectedly.
The Fix: Reword your goal. Tell yourself that you’ll never miss out on getting to the gym four or five times per week. Tweaking the exact schedule might be necessary. “People fail to understand that consistency will help them achieve their desired outcome,” says Filippone. “Missing a workout or having a few bad meals is not the end of the resolution—it’s just a missed workout or a bad meal.”
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Resolution: BECOME A MORNING PERSON
Benefit: Hitting the weights before work removes scheduling conflicts.
Setback: You stay up too late and get touchy-feely with the snooze button.
The Fix: Recruit a reliable and dedicated workout partner. “It’s not as easy to back out on someone who’s waiting for you in the weight room,” says trainer Rob Sulaver, C.S.C.S., owner of NYC’s Bandana Training.
