New Year, New You?

“This will be the year. I’m going to change my life. I’m working out 7 days a week. I’m only eating 3 pieces of lettuce and one carrot a day. I’m reading for 3 hours a day. I’m going to bed at 4pm and waking up at 2am.”

We’ve all heard it. Or said it.

And then, 15 days in, that same person is suddenly working out 0 days a week, eating ice-cream twice, watching 4 hours of tv, and getting two hours of sleep a day. It’s not because they didn’t have good intentions. It’s not because they didn’t try. It’s because their intentions were too good and they tried too hard.

When the new year comes around, we are motivated from endless talk about resolutions. We truly want to make a change, but the change seems so drastic that we throw everything we’ve got into it. We want to make a complete turnaround. And for some people, this works. But for most, it’s unrealistic.

Unless you’re part of a reality tv show, it’s extremely hard to give 100% at the beginning and be successful. Think of professional runners. They start slowly and pick up speed as they go. Athletes who sprint at the beginning of a race never win.

Effective New Year’s resolutions work when they build up. If your resolution is to work out more, start with a reasonable amount. Work out once the first week, then twice the second week, three times the third week, and so on. Or just do once a week for an entire month. There’s really no rules. Just make sure that the amount that you choose to start with makes sense for you.

Eventually, you’ll be as fit as Michael Phelps. Okay, maybe not that fit. But you get the idea.

So get out there, make some amazing resolutions, and follow through with them. Just don’t burn out. Remember these two words:

Start. Small.