New Year’s Resolutions: Why is There More Failure Than Success?

As our resolutions wane with the passing months, our determination gives way to disappointment. The responsibility of daily living moves our resolution lower on our to-do list. Old habits die hard.

Are you finding your New Year resolutions fall by the wayside year after year? It may be time to change your goals into something more sustainable. For any goal to stick, they need to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-oriented— in other words, a SMART goal.

Do your resolutions sound like this? I want to lose weight; I’m going to join a gym. I want to eat healthier; I’m going on a diet. I want to get in shape; I’m going to lift weights. Each one of these goals is a generalization and is not targeted for success. They don’t take your individuality or lifestyle into consideration. Busy lifestyles are the norm. A generalized goal that isn’t thought out usually becomes a moving target that loses its strength as time goes by.

By breaking down goals into separate components that can be tracked over time, you’ll increase the probability of success. You’ll create new action steps when done over time can turn into habits that lead to concrete lifestyle modifications. Let’s break down what a smart goal is:

• Specific: Choose a clear action. Define it well. If you plan to go to a gym, what programs do you want to participate in that you’ll enjoy for longevity? If you want to eat better, in what ways will you change your diet? If you want to get increase your body fitness, what specific exercises will you do?
• Measurable: After you’ve chosen your specific activity, you’ll need to measure it. How many times a day, week, month, or year will you perform the actions toward your goal?
• Achievable: Will this action fit into your lifestyle? Is the goal doable without becoming too much to handle all at once?
• Relevant: Are these goals realistic based on your current health and ability? Will they fit into your schedule?
• Time-oriented: When do you want to achieve your goal; does it have a deadline?

By turning your goals into something clear and easily definable, it will be easier to determine the action steps to move closer to achieving them. Here are the initial resolutions as SMART goals:

• I will sign up for spin classes 2 times a week for 3 months to improve my endurance.
• I will include a fruit or a vegetable with each meal 5 days a week for the next 2 months to eat more foods that are high in vitamins and minerals.
• I will engage in whole-body resistance training 2 times a week for 6 months to increase my body’s muscle mass.

If you are ready to make long-lasting changes in your life, a series of SMART goals (including the 5 components mentioned above) that correspond to your nature will help give you a better direction toward success. Write down your action plan to hold yourself accountable. Update it regularly. When you look back on what you’ve written after a year or so you’ll see how far you’ve come.

RD Tip: Consider refraining from choosing a weight loss goal if you’ve been dieting for some time. You’re not alone. Just as life is often unpredictable so is our body’s weight range. Let it go. Reorient yourself to take focus off the numbers on the scale. Select a goal that keeps your overall health in mind. Remember it’s a set of repeated behaviors that will move you toward better health, not weight loss. 

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