Fitness

New Year, New You – Keeping Resolutions

By Niall Ebbs  ACE Personal Trainer, Health Coach, Weight Management Specialist New year’s resolutions seem to be an annual inevitability. We make a promise to ourselves to eat healthier, exercise more, lose weight etc. but often find ourselves tapering off as the weeks go by and the momentum begins to grind to a halt. It’s […]

By Niall Ebbs 

ACE Personal Trainer, Health Coach, Weight Management Specialist

New year’s resolutions seem to be an annual inevitability. We make a promise to ourselves to eat healthier, exercise more, lose weight etc. but often find ourselves tapering off as the weeks go by and the momentum begins to grind to a halt. It’s not a sign of weakness or a lack of will power, so don’t beat yourself up if this happens to you. What you need is a good plan, or at least something to set you up right for continued success.

The most successful methods to use for making positive lifestyle changes are also the simplest methods. In my own life, and in the lives of the folks who I have coached, it is this simplicity that creates the greatest level of adherence. In the modern world there is a complexity in our day-to-day life that can sometimes make it tough for us to fit in workouts, eat healthily, minimize stress, and establish work/life balance so that we can truly enjoy our lives. After all, life is short so shouldn’t we make the most of it?

When making a new year’s resolution, ask yourself a couple of questions:

  • Why am I making this particular resolution – what is motivating me to do this?
  • How soon am I hoping to make this a reality – In a month? In 6 months? By the 1st of next year?
  • What are my current resources and what might I need for achieving my goal that I don’t have?
  • How strong is my support network – family, friends, co-workers etc. – and how might they either help me or hinder me? 
  • What are some of the obstacles that I may encounter along the way?
  • What’s my strategy for overcoming those obstacles?

Once you have honestly and confidently answered these questions, you will have the framework for putting together a plan capable of getting you to the finish line. This is by no means an exhaustive list of questions that you should be asking yourself, but it will certainly shed some light on the factors involved in making your resolution a reality. Often, it’s not the thought of what you want to achieve that is the daunting part, but the actual execution of it once you realize what is involved. 

If you’re feeling uneasy about your ability to stay on track and form the necessary habits to complete your goal, I would strongly advise hiring a personal trainer or health coach who can delve into your individual needs and help to add structure to your plan. 

Happy New Year and best of luck on your quest!