How to really stick to your resolutions - our tips

Who doesn’t know it? At the end of the year, we become reflective and think about what resolutions we want to make for the new year and which habits we would rather give up. “Living healthier” is a very common goal, mostly associated with more exercise and healthier eating. Losing weight is also still one of the most frequently mentioned New Year’s resolutions. As soon as the new year begins, there is once again a big rush to gyms and vegetable aisles, which often fades away by January. So what can you do this year to avoid being one of those who throw in the towel after a few weeks and fall back into old patterns?

Plan Your New Year’s Resolutions SMART

Maybe you’re already familiar with the SMART formula from other areas. Even better, because you can also use it perfectly to plan your New Year’s resolutions. Each initial letter in the formula stands for a principle that should be followed when setting goals to make them as successful as possible. Below, we explain the formula using the example of wanting to lose weight.

S stands for SPECIFIC. Your goals should be as precise as possible. Instead of setting a goal like “reduce body weight,” you could, for example, aim to fit into an old favorite pair of jeans again.

M stands for MEASURABLE. It should be clear to you whether you are on a good path to achieving your goal. If you want to lose weight, you can set a goal to have lost 5 kg by the end of March so that the jeans fit well again. Regularly measuring body measurements is also a good way to make these progressions transparent.

A stands for ATTRACTIVE. Achieving your goal should be so desirable to you that you are motivated enough to stick to it and overcome obstacles. In our example, you want to fit into your jeans again because they are your favorite pants and possibly very expensive. Because you know why you’re doing it, you’re also willing to skip alcoholic drinks at a party or replace pizza from the Italian restaurant with a salad.

R stands for REALISTIC. Goals should be ambitious, but it’s important that they fit into your daily life and are not too optimistic. In our example, it might not be realistic at 25 years old to fit into jeans you wore at 18, because your body has changed in ways unrelated to weight gain or loss.

T stands for TIME-BOUND. Set a deadline for when you want to have achieved a certain goal. It can also be helpful to set several milestones throughout the year to keep track of your progress. Maybe you want to wear the jeans to a birthday party this year or take them on vacation. Then you can set these events as milestones by which you want to have reached your goal.

Stronger Together – Find Support!

The top three most common New Year’s resolutions among Germans are reducing stress, spending more time with friends and family, and more exercise or sports. So why not combine all three? It saves a lot of time, is more fun, and helps you stay consistent in the long run. For example, if you know someone in your family or circle of friends who has similar goals, you can create a joint plan and maybe even do some workouts together. Once the appointment is fixed in the calendar and someone else is waiting for you, you’re unlikely to back out just because you don’t feel like it, right? You should also firmly integrate your goals into your daily routine and treat them like any other appointment—even if you pursue them alone—only canceling in extreme emergencies! If your goal is to exercise more but every session feels like a struggle and it’s a huge effort just to go, consider trying different sports. Just because a certain sport is hyped as THE new trend in the media doesn’t mean it will reinvent the wheel. Whether it’s Crossfit, Freeletics, running groups, or classic gym equipment training: do what you enjoy and what suits you best. Over time, you’ll even look forward to your workouts instead of just wanting to get them over with.

Put Your Goals on Paper!

A plan in your head is nice, but just as quickly as it’s made, it’s often forgotten. So make it easy for yourself and write down your goals according to the criteria listed above. Only then will your goal become concrete and understandable, and above all, it will motivate you at the end of the year when you see what you have achieved within a year—and to set new goals again this year. Writing down your goals also makes it possible to identify potential obstacles in advance that might arise on your path and to plan how you will behave if they occur. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, such obstacles could be vacations, birthdays, or periods of illness. With proper planning, you can prepare for all these situations by, for example, planning to eat at maintenance calories rather than a calorie deficit on those days. This way, you won’t lose sight of your goal completely and can still fully enjoy the time or support your recovery.

New Year’s Resolutions 2019 – Our Checklist

• Use the SMART formula as much as possible to make the path to achieving your goals as easy as possible.
• Appointments that serve your goal achievement are firmly scheduled and not simply canceled.
• If you have the chance to pursue common goals with others, take it.
• Put your goals on paper—a year is long, and this is the only way you’ll keep reminding yourself of them.