One second past midnight on the 31st of December the New Year begins.
The New Year is a significant time to reflect on your successes and failures of the past and resolve to create a better year ahead.
Resolutions inspire us to construct a plan for improvement and how to:
- be more fit
- be a better friend
- be a better parent
- eat more vegetables
- spend more time in nature
On January first your heels are dug in, and your eyes are on the prize for a better year. You get that gym membership, stock up on kale, and take those hikes on the local trails.
But by the 13th, the 18th, let alone the 31st of January, those hopes and dreams are distant memories. Or worse, a bad taste in your mouth that you try to ignore.
The Paseo Club is a social club in Santa Clarita that has supported members in health for almost 20 years. We know people frequently look to make lifestyle changes in the New Year.
Our instructors are often asked for advice about getting fit and maintaining motivation. In this article, we will discuss the purpose of a New Year’s resolution, why health is such a big focus of resolutions, why resolutions fail, and how to ensure your resolution is a success.
What is the purpose of making a New Year’s resolution?
Choosing a resolution at the start of the New Year allows us to create goals with a clean slate. At this point, the new year is unsullied by any decisions or lack of focus, and we have a fresh page to create the best version of ourselves.
How did last year affect this year’s resolution?
The approaching new year is a time to reflect on what has gone well and what has not. By reviewing the last year, you can assess new goals.
If you have reached success and culmination on the goals you set the year before, you can push on to bigger and loftier goals.
If you have failed, you have the chance to look at why and how — to learn where you may have gone wrong or why the goal was not correct for you. Based on those reflections, you can create new goals that will be easier to achieve.
Why are health and exercise such a big focus of resolutions?
The opportunity for a fresh start naturally lends itself to focusing on personal health and wellness.
All the things we know we should be doing for our well-being can often get lost in the shuffle of daily life and responsibilities.
When you consider what is most valuable — a healthy lifestyle, a stronger and fitter body, more endurance — it is no wonder many New Year’s resolutions center around health and exercise.
Why do resolutions fail?
Resolutions fail when we do not put enough work into making our choices into habits. The key to success is to create a routine.
Are you working to make your fitness a priority in the year ahead? Map it out. Define what success looks like so you can stay accountable to stay on track with your routine.
Find ways to help make accountability easier and more natural. The easiest aid is to enlist your friends! When you have others in your life with the same resolution, it helps everyone involved to reach the goal.
What are the 3 steps to make a New Year’s resolution successful?
Making resolutions can be both exciting and disheartening.
On one hand, this time of year is inspiring to make a fresh start and reorganize your priorities.
On the other hand, a history of New Year’s resolutions that didn’t make it into February can make you feel hesitant to try again.
In fact, making resolutions successful is not as hard as you may imagine. Here are three simple steps to take. You can use these steps as a guide, composing your resolution.
1. Identify the end goal of your resolution and work backward to create the right action plan.
For example, if you want to exercise consistently three times per week, choose the days of the week you will exercise and the time. Next, select the class or activity that you want to do.
You don't skip meetings once they're scheduled, right? Write on your calendar your first few weeks of your exercise plan so there are no excuses from the beginning.
Arrange childcare if you need help with your kids.
Perhaps even buy yourself a new pair of leggings or sneakers to celebrate your commitment to working out.
2. Find the accountability steps that will keep you on track. How will you stay motivated? How can you make sure you will follow through with this plan? How will you avoid being deterred?To continue with the example of exercising three times per week, consider what physical activity will be challenging but also enjoyable (because nobody sticks with an exercise plan that they hate).
This is also the perfect time to diversify your workout. If you’ve always been a cyclist, try Zumba. If you love strength training, Pilates is a great complement. Just because you are committing to training three times per week does not mean that your program has to get stale.
You're excited to commit to the activity because it is a group class, and your BFF is there at your side, sweating along with you.
You will stay the course with your plan because your friend will call you and bug the cr** out of you if you are “too tired” to attend.
3. Create a list of how you could get off-track, and brainstorm solutions to stay motivated and focused. When obstacles come up, refer back to the goal and move forward.Is being too tired at the end of the day a concern? Bored with your current workout? Does the babysitter have a cold, and there is nowhere for the kids to go?
Try to stay rested and go to the gym even if you don’t want to — because something is better than nothing.
Perhaps a morning workout is better than an evening one. Some people enjoy a quick in-and-out class at lunch break.
Find a club or gym that has childcare onsite so that you always have a place for your kids while you train, without fail.
These little safety nets help you stay on track and committed to your resolution.
Final thoughts on how to make your New Year’s resolution last
Sometimes we get stuck in negative thought patterns that tell us we cannot experience good health, a strong body, or greater self-confidence.
Creating new healthy habits requires courage — and time. New Year’s resolutions are the perfect opportunity to take a risk and commit to yourself. You deserve it!
Along with becoming more fit, you will likely experience more energy, better sleep, and a happier mood.
In this article, we shared with you everything you need to know about New Year’s resolutions, why resolutions often fail, and what three simple steps you can take to obtain success.
The Paseo Club offers over 60 group fitness classes every week for all experience levels. Whether you are looking for a high-intensity interval training class to burn unwanted fat, a Pilates program to develop your core and increase flexibility, or something in between, we have you covered.
During the week of January 9th-15th, the Paseo Club’s popular Tribe Core Strength, Functional Fitness, and HIIT Extreme classes are available to members free of charge. This is a special chance to try these classes out and meet our instructors.
If increasing your level of fitness is your New Year’s resolution, then the Paseo Club may be the place for you. Members enjoy the pickleball and tennis courts, workout facilities, and the junior Olympic pool. Come in for a tour and see if the club is a good fit for you.
To learn more about personal wellness, read these three articles.
- 8 steps to support your mental health
- How to join a holiday fitness challenge
- The 7 steps for optimum nutrition while training