Only a small fraction of people keep their New Year’s resolutions, which means the vast majority end the year feeling they failed at something they cared about. It does not have to go that way. The difference between the goals that stick and the ones that fade by February is mostly in how they are set. Here is how to achieve New Year goals with five proven tips from the team at Hammer’s Gym in Nunawading, where we watch hundreds of January starts every year and know what separates the ones still training in June.
1. Use productive language
Stop calling it a resolution. The word has picked up so much baggage from years of broken promises that it almost predicts failure. Call it a goal or a plan instead. It sounds like a small change, but the words you use shape how seriously you take the thing, and a plan is something you follow rather than something you hope for.
2. Frame it positively
Avoid goals built on negative words such as “quit” and “stop”, and steer clear of absolutes like “never” and “always”. “I will never eat sugar again” fails on the first birthday cake and takes your motivation with it. “My goal is to lead a healthier lifestyle, starting with training three times a week and cutting my sugar intake in half” survives a slice of cake. You are moving toward something, not just away from it.
3. Be specific
Broad or unrealistic goals almost guarantee you cannot meet them. Rather than “lose 20 kilograms”, set “lose 2 kilograms in the first month”; rather than “stop eating sweets”, set “cut my sugar intake by half this month”. Specific goals tell you exactly what to do today and let you know whether you are on track. Our guide to setting fitness goals covers the SMART method in detail.
4. Take baby steps
Break the big goal into small steps that are easy to hit. “Get fit” becomes: book a free trial this week, attend two classes next week, learn the five basic lifts by the end of the month, add a third session in February. Each small win makes the next one more likely, and before long you look up and find the big goal has taken care of itself. Read what happens after 30 days of regular training to see how fast the early steps pay off.
5. Tell people
Say your goals out loud to friends and family and you are far more likely to keep them, because now you are accountable. Surround yourself with people who will ask how the plan is going and say “good job”, not people who will pounce on a slip. Better still, recruit one of them as a training partner or join a class where a room full of people expects you to turn up. See why you need a workout buddy and why gym community beats solo training.
Bonus: plan for the slip
You will miss a session and eat something off plan; everyone does. Decide now what you will do when it happens: not “start again Monday” but “train tomorrow”. The goals that survive are the ones with a recovery plan built in. Read how to set realistic goals and stick to them for the weekend strategy.
Make this the year
Better words, positive framing, specific targets, small steps and people who hold you to it: that is the whole formula. If your goal involves the gym, Hammer’s Gym is the easiest place in Melbourne’s east to make it stick, with coached classes, personal trainers who will build the plan with you and a community that notices when you are missing. Claim a free one-day trial in Nunawading, minutes from Mitcham, Blackburn, Box Hill and Doncaster.