Despite our best intentions, most of us will give up on our new year’s resolutions 17 to 18 days into 2022 according to a recent study. Whether you plan to get fitter, lose weight or become more disciplined in another way, most of us tend to run out of steam within a month.
How to Make Habits that Stick
Research from the British Journal of Health Care Management found that all too often the goals we set are too vague and not specific enough.
To give yourself a greater chance of sticking to your resolution, make sure they are well-defined. Try to make your resolution SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
Rather than your resolution being to ‘get fitter’ you could state what exercise you will do, when, where and for how long. For example, I will run three times a week, before work for 30 minutes.
Or rather than aiming to ‘eat more healthily’ you could say exactly what you are going to do and when. E.g. I will eat less meat by going meat-free one day a week or I will eat less sugar by replacing biscuits and sugary snacks with fruit.
Be Realistic
Christmas is a time of over-indulgence for many of us and whilst there’s nothing wrong with that, it is natural that many of us try to be healthier, do more exercise or be more disciplined in another aspect of our life once the festive period is over.
The key is to be realistic with the goals you set, and to work on changing one habit at a time. If you attempt to take on too much, the risk is that you’ll fall back into old habits and won’t achieve any of your goals.
If you set resolutions that are realistic and achievable, you’ll be more likely to stick to your goal. If you manage to stick with it for a sustained period such as a month or six weeks, you’ll get so used to doing it that it becomes part of your weekly routine and you will be more likely to stick with it as a long term habit.
Change One Habit at a Time
Once you have adopted a new habit, you may find that you can add another resolution onto this – this is known as habit stacking.
If your resolution is to go to the gym three times a week and after six weeks you are still doing this, you could decide that you’d like to add the habit of listening to a podcast to broaden your knowledge on a new skill on the way to the gym. Or eat a healthy breakfast before going to the gym.
Pain or discomfort stopping you doing what you love?
If you have an ache or pain that’s stopping you from doing something you enjoy like walking with friends or playing a sport you used to love, we may be able to help.
Everyone should be able to live an active, pain free life. Get in touch for advice and more information about how we can help.