It’s no secret most New Year’s Resolutions are failures. Why is this? We start the new year with lots of new energy and hopes and desires for change. There are lots of programs and articles and support to be found … so why do we still fail?

The answer is simple. We are making our resolutions wrong. A simple shift in how we approach resolutions could be the difference in success or failure. Let’s take a look:

Typical Resolution: I will lose 25 lbs by Valentine’s Day!

Why will this most likely fail? For starters, we’ve picked an arbitrary date on the calendar and a timeline that may not be realistic. What happens if we only lose 12 lbs by Valentine’s Day? Well based on this resolution we failed.

Problem 2 - We don’t have a plan to get to our results. Change requires change beyond wanting to fit in a specific dress for a specific occasion. How will we lose weight?

Problem 3 - Why are we losing weight? Is it to get healthy? Is it to sleep better? Is it to have more energy? These are better goals that may ultimately lead us to lose weight but we can measure our success based on the positive impact on our lives, not a scale that may not give us the most accurate answers to our level of healthiness. If our goal is healthier so we feel better, have more energy, and sleep better - losing 12 lbs by Valentine’s Day becomes a success.

Most resolutions focus on the negative not the positive - any weight loss is a win if it means we are getting healthy. Instead of lamenting the weight we haven’t lost yet, we should celebrate the weight we have lost. Setting achievable goals and celebrating every win along the way is both more productive and motivating - it’s also a lot more fun.

Resolution Two - I will work out every day!

While the intent is good - the goal is not realistic. As much as we may have the desire to go from zero to seven days a week, this is a recipe for injury or quick burnout! Once again we should consider the ‘Why’ of this resolution? What is the real goal? To get stronger? To tone our body? By defining our why we are in a better position to measure if we are succeeding or not. Being able to grow from not able to do a plank to holding a plank is a real measure of our strength. Checks on a calendar aren’t necessarily the same.

A better take on this goal is to focus on something tangible and measurable. I want to get stronger and be able to hold a plank for 30 seconds - I will commit to Pilates three times a week to achieve this goal. Here we have a measurable goal and a realistic plan to get there. Some weeks if we have time and energy we may hit Pilates four times! Other weeks we may throw in a run or walk. All of these ‘extras’ are to be celebrated instead of berating ourselves for not hitting 7 days a week.

The best goals are the goals where we know WHY we are doing them and HOW we are going to do them. The best goals also don’t have arbitrary timelines that may not be realistic.

Here is one of my goals for 2021. I am competing in a half marathon next August. I have not been running as much lately so in order to really enjoy this race - I want to start now adding mileage and building up my running base. I will accomplish this by running 4 days a week and gradually increasing my mileage. I have plenty of time to build my base and stay injury-free. I will look for races between now and then to challenge myself along the way. My success will be measured in running farther and feeling strong. My why is getting back to something I love and enjoying competing in a race versus struggling through it.