Why We Keep Ditching Our New Year's Resolutions!

Have you ever wondered why New Year's resolutions often fizzle out? Here are 6 Reasons why New Year's Resolutions Fall Short.

1. Unrealistic goals:  We’ve all done it...we like quick results, but setting overly ambitious or unrealistic goals can lead to frustration and disappointment.

Starting a crazy exercise regime, losing a significant amount of weight in a short period, or completely overhauling your diet overnight can make these changes hard to do and even harder to maintain over the long term.

This can be demotivating and often you can’t wait to ‘finish’ whatever challenge you set for yourself, or worse...you quit before you get there! 

2. Lack of planning: Many people fail to plan adequately for the changes they set for their health goals. They rely on ‘self-discipline’ which can be challenging when we feel out of control, anxious or unhappy. We start to make a change, we hit an obstacle and then quit on ourselves which makes us feel demotivated.

3. Too much change at once:  Trying to tackle too many changes all at once can be overwhelming and exhausting.

We often make the mistake of attempting to change too many aspects of our lifestyle all at once, making it harder to establish and stick with new habits.

4. 'All or nothing' approach: Often when we have big goals. we think the best way to achieve them is through big changes...restricting our diet, crazy exercise regimes etc.

Restricting and deprivation don’t work and drive cravings! If you say you ‘can’t have it’, your brain will go into overdrive to get it. And if you ‘have to do it’, it will find ways to sabotage you.

5. Insufficient support: Lack of support from friends, family, or a community can make it more challenging to reach your health goals.

Having a support system can provide encouragement, accountability, and motivation.

Without this support, we may feel isolated in our efforts and find it easier to abandon our goals.

6. Lack of accountability: Without accountability, excuses can creep in, we can procrastinate or let ourselves off the hook!

Accountability often provides external motivation. When you're accountable to someone else, there's an added incentive to stay on track. Without this external pressure, it's easier to lose motivation, especially if the resolution requires consistent effort over time.

Having someone to hold you accountable can provide guidance and support during setbacks. Without accountability, we may struggle to bounce back after facing obstacles.

When you're thinking about your goals for the New Year, forget resolutions and focus on creating healthy habits that you can sustain well beyond January. 

Keep an eye out for my next blog where I'll share tips to help set yourself up for success, for changes you might be looking to make in 2024.