/ reviews
It is February already, which means the first month of 2023 has passed. A lot of us start the new year full force with their New Year's resolutions. From quitting smoking to losing weight and from spending less time on the phone to exercising more every day. Coming up with these New Year's resolutions is considerably easier than actually realizing them. Many people stop around this period, which is a shame! With these tips you can actually achieve your New Year's resolutions!
1. Choose your New Year's resolutions carefully
Quitting smoking and losing weight and exercising more is too much at once. According to experts, it's better to choose one, maybe two things to focus on. Then you can really go all in. This allows you to achieve specific goals instead of feeling bad for not achieving any of them. The key to a successful New Year's resolution may also lie in setting new goals, rather than breaking bad habits. A 2020 study published in the journal PLoS One found that 55% of participants considered themselves successful in sticking to their New Year's resolutions from the previous year. However, participants with 'approach goals' (do something new) were significantly more successful than 'avoidance goals' (stop doing something), with a success rate of 58.9% versus 47.1%. This indicates that those who take on new challenges are more likely to succeed than those who try to remove something from their lives.
This did not mean that participants who set avoidance goals, such as quitting smoking or losing weight, were unsuccessful, but that participants were more likely to succeed with their resolutions when the goal was formulated in an 'approach way'.
2. Plan your goals
It works best to make a clear schedule for your goal. Think about how you want to achieve your good intention and how long this may take. For example, if your resolution is to quit smoking, go online and do some research how long it takes an average person to break the pattern and what potential setbacks are lurking around the corner. Good planning helps ensure that you can make it to the end.
3. Set very specific goals
Many New Year's resolutions lists say 'exercise more', but that is a very vague goal. Exercise more than what? To achieve a goal, it is important to make it as specific as possible. For example, instead of 'exercise more', it would be better to say 'walk/exercise for 20 minutes every day'. This gives you a measurable goal to check off your list, which in turn gives you extra motivation.
4. Start small
Don't set the expectations too high! Break big goals into smaller goals. Instead of focusing on losing ten kilos, focus on losing the first two. Keep a food diary or use a fitness app to help you stay on track. Have you lost the first two kilos? Great, then you move on to the next two kilos. By setting small goals, you can eventually achieve big results.
5. Give your resolution time to become a habit
New routines don't just become a habit. You may have heard or read that it takes 21 days for something to become a habit. However, that is very optimistic. Research has shown that it takes on average more than two months for new behavior to become automatic - 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes to form a new habit can vary greatly depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In Lally's study, it took people between 18 and 254 days to form a new habit.
In other words, it will probably take you between two and eight months to turn your New Year's resolution into a habit. Therefore, be patient with yourself. If you have minor setbacks or don't meet your goal one week, pick it up again the next week. Obsessing over things that aren't going well won't help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can every day, and take it one day at a time.
6. Talk about it
Don't keep your New Year's resolutions a secret! Tell friends and family members about your New Year's resolutions so they can help you stay motivated. In addition, it is more difficult to break a promise to someone else than one to yourself. The best case scenario is to find a buddy who shares your New Year's resolution to motivate each other. Going to the gym together, for example, makes achieving the goal a lot more fun! You can also do workouts together at home. With basic equipment such as dumbbells, bands, kettlebells and mats you can work together at home.
7. Reward yourself
Celebrate your success by treating yourself to something you enjoy that doesn't contradict your New Year's resolutions. If you've kept your promise to eat healthier, reward yourself with a set of new booty bands or hip bands, for example!
We hope that with these tips you can achieve your Celebrate your success by treating yourself to something you enjoy that doesn't contradict your resolve. If you've kept your promise to eat better, reward yourself with a set of new booty bands or hip bands, for example!
We hope that with these tips you can achieve your New Year's resolutions. Good luck, you can do it! ;)
