1. You never defined your goal.
''I want to lose weight this year.''
''I want to gain muscle and get stronger this year.''
''I'll eat more healthy this year.''
The problem with such beliefs is that they are too vague. How much weight do you want to lose? How much stronger to want to become? Oh, and by the way, what's more healthy mean?
2. Your 'goal' is too unrealistic.
You want to look like a Calvin Klein model within the next six months, or like a celebrity in Hollywood? Let's be honest, it's probably not going to happen that quick.
3. You expect instantaneous results.
Leading in from number two, you can't just go to the gym for a week, or perhaps even a couple of months and expect to look like Hercules. It takes time to progress, stay patient and good things will come.
4. You didn't think long-term.
Magazines are the driving force behind this problem. Yes, you may lose 10lbs in 10 days or something similar if you eat just 400 calories a day and exercise excessively. But, it's unlikely that this weight will stay off. In addition, you're lucky if the 10lb weight loss is even a 2-3lb loss in fat.
5. You haven't changed your lifestyle.
This is the single biggest reason New Year's resolutions fail. It's very difficult to lose weight if you can't say no to drinking every weekend, or to fast food..or to a whole range of other vices.
6. You surround yourself with the wrong crowd.
Again, it can be very difficult to stay motivated if your work colleagues, friends and/or family aren't on board with your idea and goal. Losing weight in an office where take away food is the norm for example, will be extremely challenging, as will having a friend group that primarily socialize in the pub every weekend.
Goal Setting 101:
Fitness professionals will often look towards the acronym
S.M.A.R.T. when setting goals for their clients.. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-specific. However, I'll simplify that a little to make it understandable to everyone.
When setting a goal, it is important that you can answer the following questions:
1) WHAT- defining and setting the goal is the very first step in the process.
2) HOW- To reach said goal, you'll need a plan of action. How are you going to achieve it?
3) WHEN- You should set short, medium and long term goals to help with the process.
4) WHY- The why is everyone's motivation. This is usually the easiest question to answer. However, I would recommend to only set goals that you want to achieve for yourself, and not for the satisfaction of others.
