So, you’re looking to get fit – right? Well if that’s the case then you have three options—you can tell yourself “I’ll workout tomorrow” (you won’t), you can wait until the New Year (you shouldn’t) or you can get up and workout right now (yaasss). The year is wrapping up quickly, which means everybody and their mother is setting off to make a New Year’s Resolution. The problem is, less than 8% of people actually succeed at completing their goals.
That’s right… That means 92% of people never accomplish their New Year’s Resolution!
Don’t be that guy. Nobody wants to be that guy.
Getting started can be daunting, and sometimes it’s the hardest part, but keep in mind that everyone starts at the beginning…even professional athletes! All it takes is a light jog through the park, or a brisk walk around the neighborhood and suddenly you’ve transitioned from wanting to doing.
Okay, maybe it isn’t that simple. To make it easier, we broke it down into three simple steps.
3 Simple Steps to Make a New Year’s Resolution that sticks:
1. Set Your Goals
This is the most important part of your fitness journey. Olympic Gold Medalist Bryan Clay suggests making both a short-term and long-term goal and adjust them to your capabilities.
For example, making a short-term goal to lose 30 lbs. in a month is not only unrealistic, but also extremely unhealthy. A more realistic and achievable goal would be to cut soda out of your diet for 1 week (you’d be surprised how big of a difference this makes!).
Another thing to keep in mind when setting your goals is to think in terms of something quantifiable and include a time frame. Instead of saying “I wanna be hawt” you should be thinking along the lines of “I want to lose 20 pounds over the next four months.” This way, if you’ve lost 10 pounds you know you’re half way to success!
Otherwise, how do you know when you’re half way to “hawt”?
As for short-term goals, we recommend making weekly or even daily plans. Something as simple as “I will work out three times a week for 30 mins each” can help you successfully achieve your fitness goals.
If you really want to push yourself, make sure each workout session averages above a 60 PK Score!
2. Form a Habit
Just as you remember to wash your laundry or take a shower, working out can easily become part of your daily routine, too. Check out our blog on the top 5 reasons habits fail to make sure you create a habit that sticks!
Set yourself up for success. When you think about your goals, its important to visualize the process. While it’s great motivation to think of yourself 10 lbs. lighter, it doesn’t actually accomplish anything because you get wrapped up in the end result, not the habit.
Harness that motivation and turn it into a reality. Get out a piece of paper (yes literally) and write down what you want your end result to be. Don’t forget to include both your short-term and long-term goals! Next, get out your calendar and set days and times with reminders.
Don’t feed procrastination, and don’t make excuses. Sticking with this step is vital to success, and you don’t want your hard work to go to waste because of one ‘maybe later’.
3. Stay Accountable
Tell a friend or family member about your goals. Share any concerns you have about completing your goals and give them direction on how to motivate you when you’re down. For example, if you tell your significant other about your goal to give up soda for a week, they can hold you accountable on date night at the end of the week when you’re hard-core craving it.
Another way to stay accountable is on social media. Social media hugely influences our habits, which can be either good or bad. Let’s talk about Instagram, for example. There are tons of fitness profiles that are great for motivation, tips, and workout plans. Take about 5 minutes to look into some of these profiles and follow the ones you like. That way, when you go on and scroll through your feed you are constantly reminded of your goals.
Finally, use the PK Fitness app to your advantage! Nudge people and take your nudges seriously. It’s easy to ignore or pretend you didn’t see the nudge, but this is where your dedication comes into play.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle