12 Days of “Why your New Years Resolution doesn’t work”

12 Days of “Why your New Years Resolution doesn’t work”

I don’t know the exact figures, but I am pretty sure that the majority of people that start a New Years Resolution don’t see it through, especially when it comes to weight loss and getting in shape.

Here’s my thoughts on why you haven’t been successful and how you can flip it this year to ensure you finally have a successful year in 2020.

Day 1 – You go too Hard.

I see this all the time. January 1st hits and you have the new Karimor gym gear on and set out for a run, despite not doing any exercise for the past 11 months – which was your last attempt at the ‘New Year New Me’ challenge.

You attempt to run every day, go to the gym 3 night’s a week, do spinning 2 days a week, do Bootcamp on a Sunday all because of #nopainnogain.

You fuel this workout schedule with the latest diet, well in fact you try and tackle a few diets at once. If one diet is good then surely 4 is better? So you’re going No Carb, Shakes 3 x a day (but without dairy – as it kills you), no gluten, no meat (because you watched Game Changers), no carrots because they’ve got sugar in them. So to fuel your 86 Workouts a week you’re mate eating about 1000 kcals on salad, shakes, and asparagus. Oh and the skinny coffee that you just invested in.

After about 4 days, the weight drops off you but you realise that you’re sore, hungry and hate exercise.

You then have a wee treat at the weekend, because you done so well and then it all goes to shit till next year’s attempt, which is a mirror image of this attempt.

So, if you want to be successful with your New Years health kick, start off slow. Make small sustainable changes and build on this momentum.

If you do it right once, you won’t have to repeat the cycle each year.

Day 2 – You try and do it on your own.

If you want to learn to play a musical instrument, you hire a music teacher. Want to learn to drive, you hire a driving instructor.

Yes, you could work it out yourself but this is going to be much more ineffective than hiring someone to help you reach your goal.

When it comes to losing fat or getting in shape, using a coach to help you on your journey will make all the difference.

It may cost you more at the start but it will save you time, money and effort in the long run.

Day 3 – You focus on ‘removing’ instead of ‘adding’.

When January 1st strikes, most people will adopt the approach of cutting everything out their diet.

No chocolate, no alcohol, no fizzy juice, no crisps, no takeaways……..

This usually ends up in falling off the wagon pretty quickly.

What if you focus on adding better quality foods instead of focusing on things you cant have?

This has a much more positive approach mentally than you feeling you are depriving yourself of what you enjoy.

Try adding this into your diet for a month, without worrying about eliminating everything that may be considered ‘junk’. You’ll be surprised that you won’t crave the ‘bad’ foods if you haven’t banned them from your diet.

You’re body will also function much better, you’ll have more energy and chances are you’ll feel fuller most of the day.

✔ 2 litres of water a day

✔ 5 portions of Fruit and Veg a day

✔ Protein with every meal

Aim for these every day during January and watch the magic happen……..

Day 4 – You focus too much on ‘cardio’

I will preface this by saying that I am a big advocate of cardio / conditioning work for many reasons – however, when it comes to changing your body shape then doing some form of resistance / weight / strength training should be a staple in your routine.

As we enter 2020 I’m hoping that the majority of the population know that lifting weights won’t make females ‘bulky’ – it will however change your shape much better than focusing solely on cardio alone.

Yet, I can guarantee you that for the first few weeks of the year you’ll see people out running, looking in pain and really not enjoying the process because they think cardio is the best way to go.

If you’ve spent the previous 8 months doing nothing, jumping straight into a running programme can become problematic.

You can get the benefits of weight training using a variety of tools – your own bodyweight with press ups, squats, lunges etc, Barbells, Kettlebells, Dumbbells etc – there are countless options available when embarking on this kind of training. I would recommend working with someone that knows what they’re doing with this though.

As mentioned at the start, I love cardio and I believe it should play a role in the majority of the populations training but if am only given 15 minutes to train someone who wants to look and feel better then I am going to have them lifting weights instead of going for a run.

If your New Years Resolution is to run a marathon then of course your training should focus on running, but if it’s for dropping body fat, building lean muscle and becoming stronger then get lifting.

At the end of the day, cardio might be your thing and if that’s what you do then it is of course 100% more effective than doing nothing – however to really change your shape, add muscle, create that toned physique and to be strong AF you will need to incorporate some lifting.

Day 5 – You rely on being motivated all the time.

One of the reasons people will fail with their New Years Resolution is that they rely on will power and motivation rather than having a strategy.

Yes, will power and motivation is good short term but you need to use this to build good habits rather than rely on it to ensure success.

For example, no matter how motivated or how much will power you think you have, if you come home from work and have nothing healthy in the house you will struggle to resist the temptations of some convenient ‘junk’ food that may be readily available.

This is where it’s important to have a strategy – plan and prepare meals and snacks so it is always available to you meaning you won’t end up in this predicament.

Pencil your workouts into your schedule and make them a priority. Don’t just try and ‘wing’ it from week to week.

When you have a strategy in place you will be more likely to stick to it long enough for it to become a habit instead of relying on short term motivation and will power.

Motivation comes and goes when it comes to getting to the gym, we’ve all been there. However if you have put together a solid strategy then you will be less likely to miss your sessions.

Normally people fail when they haven’t planned or prepared – this is when they grab convenient fast foods and take aways and the diet goes out the window.

There’s always going to be times where you “can’t be bothered” going to the gym or times where all you want to do is eat junk but when you have a strategy in place this will help massively.

Day 6 – You approach it with a negative mindset.

People often don’t realise that your outlook towards the task at hand can play an important role in the success or failure of it.

This can also be affected by those in your circle.

Most people have tried and failed numerous times to lose some weight or embark on a healthier lifestyle in January. These ‘failed’ attempts can make us feel that this time will be no different and you go into it with a negative attitude.

You will also be faced with negativity from your friends and family, which can also add to the problem.

Self imposed limitations will always negatively affect your New Years Resolution and it is important to try to mentally take a different approach.

It may sound cliche, but if you have belief in yourself that you can lose that weight or get in shape then this can make things much more positive and you will be more likely to succeed.

In order to do this you could try and speak to someone or be around people that have been there and done it. When you’re surrounded by those that have ‘walked the walk’ and had success, it will make it seem much more achievable to you.

Self belief is an incredibly powerful tool, use it.

A wise man once said “You can do it!”

Day 7 – You lack patience.

Chances are you gained weight and got out of shape over a period of months and years, don’t expect to reverse this in the space of a few weeks.

It is important to immerse yourself in the process long term, not just look or expect a quick fix to a long term problem.

Yes, you can make progress in a short period of time but don’t expect to ‘complete’ the game of fitness in a few weeks.

Bobby Maximus states in his book, The Maximus Body, that “For the majority of people, it takes roughly 130 quality hours to get fit.”

This works out to be 6 months of training 5 times a week for an hour. If you want results quicker then you might need to go with double sessions or if you can’t commit to 5 hours a week then it may take you longer than 6 months.

He continues with “The cost is the cost, and you cannot escape it: 130 hours is non-negotiable. There’s no free lunch, shortcut or time-saving technique here.”

Whether there’s magic in the 130 hours or not, the point is that it takes time and for true long lasting results you must commit to doing the work over the course of months and years.

Day 8 – You don’t learn from past failures.

Most people revisit the strategy that failed them the previous year, because it worked……..

For a short while, anyway.

The problem is that if the strategy didn’t lead to a long term change, then it didn’t work.

If you lost weight the first month and put it all back on, then it didn’t work.

The definition of insanity, doing the same thing but expecting different results, sums this up perfectly.

When you’re planning your New Years Resolution don’t repeat the failed attempts from previous years.

Go with a different approach or work with a good coach to help you on your journey.

Day 9 – You are not special.

For the majority of the population you will lose weight by increasing activity levels and reducing calorie intake, especially from ‘junk’ food.

This strategy works for almost the entire population, I understand there is a psychological element to this, but on the whole, this works.

Yet many people who are out of shape will tell you things like “I’ve got a slow metabolism”, “I’ve had 2 kids”, “I work long hours”, “I don’t react well with carbs”, “I’m too old”, “I’ve got a bad back”, ” I’m too busy with the kids”, “I don’t like the taste of water”.

Many people create the illusion that they are a special case and weight loss or getting in shape isn’t possible for them.

They will claim that they’ve tried to lose weight before and “It’s impossible” despite not actually making appropriate changes for more than a week or so.

Don’t bullshit yourself by thinking you’re a special case, if you feel down want the results then you will do the work.

We’ve worked with countless people who get great results despite many obstacles in their path.

Most people nowadays work long hours, have kids, have the same stresses as everyone else. Some will just get the head down and do the work, others will forever believe that they are a special snowflake and hide behind their excuses.

Day 10 – You avoid the ‘low hanging fruit.’

Over the next few weeks you will be bombarded by all the ‘revolutionary new workouts’, the latest fad diets and the new secret pill for weight loss.

Magazines will be filled with complicated diets and training programmes that sound much more sexier than doing the fundamental basics.

These strategies are often hard to stick to, which leads to the feeling of failure and ultimately abandonment.

But what if this time round you focus on the ‘low hanging fruit’?

These are things that are easily achievable, yet have a big impact on your goals.

If you follow my posts, you will know exactly what I’m going to tell you, but will you actually shoot for the ‘low hanging fruit’ or will you continue to ignore these and search for the less effective ‘fancy new trends’?

✔2 litres of water per day

✔7 hours of sleep per night

✔10000 steps per day

✔5 x Fruit / Veg per day

✔Protein at each meal

✔Train 2-5 x per week

Day 11 – You take advice from the ‘fat guy at work that once lost weight in 1998’

We all have that overweight person at work. Knows everything about health and fitness, building muscle and dropping body fat and is happy providing you with all the best ways to get in shape in January on your morning break whilst tucking into a donut, diet coke and 3 fat burner pills.

Seek out people who have walked the walk, or who have a proven track record in doing so.

Not someone who lost weight once and gets all their info from Heat magazine and episodes of the Biggest Loser TV Show and has tried every single diet under the sun.

Everyone becomes an expert in weight loss and getting shape, particularly at this time of year, but make sure you’re getting your information and advice from someone that knows what they’re talking about and qualified to do so.

Do it properly once and you won’t have to keep repeating the cycle year in year out.

Day 12 – You’re not willing to work hard.

At this time if year you will be exposed to many people and companies selling you an east solution to a difficult problem.

It’s easy to be duped by false promises of a ‘6 pack in 6 minutes’ or ‘lose weight by eating whatever you want’.

However, this is not reality – if it was easy everyone would be in great shape.

If losing weight were easy why is the majority of the population overweight and obese?

The cold, hard truth is that you need to work hard to obtain the results you desire.

You need to work hard, be consistent with your training. Don’t take the easy path, you need to get out your comfort zone in order to progress.

You also need to work hard with your nutrition and lifestyle. You will be faced with difficult choices on a regular basis but you need to work hard and give up some of what you want for alot of what you need.

When you realise that losing weight, getting strong or getting fit requires hard work and when you immerse yourself in the hard work – this is when you see results.

You will fail when you continue to take the easy options and look for the quick fixes.