2012 is upon us and it is resolution season. Most people make resolutions of some kind - some are more serious about it than others. Personally, until recently I hadn't gotten into the notion of making new years resolutions. I usually try to change things as I think about them throughout the year, and either fail or succeed depending on how much effort I put into it.
For the past 2 years, I've been intentional about
goal setting for the new year - which I believe is a little more strategic and practical than just making new year's resolutions.
One common theme that I hear all the time though is that more often than not, resolutions fail - and they fail early sometimes before getting out of the starting gate.
I thought I'd write out a few thoughts of why I think this occurs.
1. Your resolution makes too drastic of a change in your normal routine. During holiday downtime anything seems possible – but when life kicks back into full swing in the spring you didn’t account for how much time your resolution required and you didn’t make any changes to your schedule to account for it. An
article by Fox News called "How to make healthy habits stick in the new Year" says:
“The problem with resolutions, especially New Years, is that they are sudden changes in lifestyle that are different from what we normally do and easy to sabotage,” said Dr. Michael Monaco, an MDVIP-affiliated primary care physician. “If you have a bad week, you may overdo it at a party on the weekend, or if you get busy at work, you may not exercise and get out of the routine for a few days.
2. Your goals are too vague or not thought out. There aren’t enough details in the resolution and there is not an actionable plan to actually achieve it.
3. You didn’t make the resolution personal. It wasn’t based on your personality and life, but rather you copied it from someone else or made it based on what you perceive that others think of you.
4. You weren’t patient. Depending on the habit, it can take sometimes up to 60 days to form a new habit or break an old habit. That means that giving up in January doesn’t give you a chance to succeed.
5. You did it alone. Resolutions are more fun when you have people to do it with and hold you accountable. Resolutions often affect your family members and without their support and buy in you won’t get far.
So how do you prevent the five modes of failure above? Well here are some of my thoughts:
1. When making a resolution - imagine and ask yourself how it will fit into your normal routine. Will it make your life easier or harder? Does it require more time and if so when? What changes are required to your schedule and are you willing to make those changes or sacrifices. Formulate a plan of attack - get support from your family and friends, and execute your plan.
2. Be specific in your goals. Use S.M.A.R.T and balanced goals (Zig Ziglar's wheel of life) like I've talked about in my
recent 2012 goal post. Post the goals and your plan in visible places and review it often. Find ways to reward yourself for meeting goals. Have a friend or family member go over your goals with your and help hold you accountable.
3. Think about who YOU want to be. Why are you doing this? What is the point of the resolution? Did someone coerce you into making this resolution? Are you resolving to lose weight only because of what others think of you? What are your motives? The reason I ask these question are because you have to OWN your resolution. It has to fit YOUR personality, dreams, and aspirations. If it is yours and you care about it then you are less likely to give it up. Don't do it just because someone else said you should.
4. Obviously be patient - be persistent - and persevere. If you are trying to create a new habit or break an old one be ready to struggle with it for at least 2 months before it becomes second nature. Don't be disappointed by minor setbacks. Use the 80/20 rule. If you are successful 80% of the time and cheat or fail 20% of the time - then that is still pretty good and you'll keep your sanity through it all. Don't give up. If the horse bucks you off - get back on and tell him whose boss.
5. Don't do it alone. Find someone to help you or even partner with you for your resolutions. This might be several different people. Friends, family, coworkers, etc. You might have one friend who you work out with, another who is your prayer and bible study partner, and another who you start a book club with where you each read the same books. Your family might all join in on a resolution and do it together. Make sure they agree and you don't just drag them along though! There is strength in numbers and anything done with others is not only fun, but also a way to build and strengthen relationships.
The Body by Vi challenge can be life changing if you are up for it! I am excited about it after only 3 weeks. I've lost about 11 pounds, several inches, feel great, and have such increased energy and motivation towards all my other goals - not just health and fitness.
1. The Body by Vi challenge is easy and makes weight loss simple. Instead of wasting time worrying about what you can and can't eat, dieting, shopping, and preparing food - you can drink delicious, nutritious, and healthy ViSalus Vi-Shape Shakes for breakfast and/or lunch. This saves you time & money and helps give you a leg up towards your health & fitness goals. It is EASY to incorporate the Body by Vi challenge into your normal routine. I've had no issues over the past 3 weeks.
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extra income for your family. My motivation to lose weight went through the roof when I learned that I could actually get PAID as a result of it. Sure, you can get a lot of this through other programs - but I've tried most of those and never lasted 3 weeks.
3. The challenge is personal. Most everyone is using the same product but they all have different goals and approaches. Many want to
lose weight, others want to improve health (cholesterol, blood sugar, BMI, etc.), and many have specific fitness goals they are trying to accomplish such as shaving time off a marathon, building up lean muscle, or getting into the best shape of their life. The challenge also has financial implications so many who become distributors have goals to earn a certain income promoting the challenge and even earn a
free BMW.
4. Each round of the challenge is 90 days - so if you stick it out then you likely have been successful and have new & better habits. Nearly everyone who goes through the challenge just repeats it over and over with new goals.
It works - so why stop?
5. When you're on the challenge you are NOT alone. You have an incredible support team of people in your area and online who are doing the challenge with you. It;s like a new extended network of friends and family who only want to see you succeed and are willing to help you every step of the way.
To learn more about the Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge, visit my
blog page here. Please contact me directly if you have questions!
Ready to Join the Challenge today? Go to my site at
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I wish you a very happy new year in 2012 and hope that whatever you resolve to do, you are successful in it!
My goal for the next 30 days is to break under 180 pounds. I haven't been at a healthy weight for a long time so I'm not sure where I will "level out" once I've burned fat and built muscle. I'm going to keep up my exercise program at the gym, of about 3-4 hour long sessions. Half my time will be running to get my 5K time down and the other half of the time will be weightlifting and abdominal/core work. 
