The few days between Christmas and the new year seem like a blur. Vacation means losing track of days, eating too much cheese and pie, and feeling completely unequipped to jump into the “new year, new me” mantra. No wonder resolutions fail. Whether or not you fell off the fitness wagon for the holiday season, refocusing on your wellness goals isn’t always easy.
Maybe you’re discouraged by a lack of progress. Perhaps you met your goals, but maintaining them is boring. Whatever your reason, the new year is a good time to refresh and reignite your passion to strive for the best “you” you can be!
7 Steps to Renewing Your Health & Wellness Commitments
Step #1 – Reflect on the year.
Think about what worked and what didn’t in the past year. Did you stick to your routines, or did life get in the way? Identify challenges and triumphs to understand where improvements can be made. This isn’t just a step for beginners, either. Reflection is key to setting meaningful goals and orchestrating your success. If you can’t identify what held you back last year, how can you prevent it from happening again? Think about what worked and didn’t, and fine-tune your approach to reap the greatest rewards.
Step #2 – Find accountability.
One of the mistakes people make with fitness and health goals is relying totally on their own willpower. Motivation ebbs and flows unless you’ve developed strict discipline. Discipline takes time to cultivate. So what do you do?
Find accountability. This can be a workout buddy who convinces you to follow through even when you really don’t want to. It can also be sharing your fitness journey publicly. Peer pressure can be a good thing!
Step #3 – Leverage technology.
I’m a big fan of all the fitness tech that’s emerged in the past few years. I like numbers – being able to condense my efforts into undeniable stats. These days, simple fitness trackers are affordable but effective ways to track your progress. Some (like FitBit) even allow you to compete with friends and strangers alike.
Step #4 – Start small.
As the new year hits, we’re often tempted to make grand, sweeping changes, partly due to impatience and frustration with a lack of progress. This seldom works. Why? Sudden shifts are often unsustainable, as they haven’t allowed habit and discipline to be established. Smaller changes are much easier to handle because they demand less sacrifice to stick to. You can scale up as you go, of course!
Be more ambitious as you hit each target. Not only will this provide room to celebrate, but you’ll stop setting yourself up for failure with pie-in-the-sky ambitions.
If you don’t know where to start, consider adopting a specific challenge. Many you’ll find online are month-long commitments that offer a great launch pad for progress. The pride from finishing one of these challenges can easily fuel your motivation to keep going.
Step #5 – Experiment.
There’s no one way to get where you’re going. Unless your goals are hyper-specific, there’s room to experiment. Change things up if one type of exercise or routine isn’t clicking. Explore different things – cardio, weight training, cross-training, sports. Find something you enjoy. Mix things up every now and again to prevent boredom.
Step #6 – Track your progress.
As I mentioned earlier, I like distilling my efforts into data. A fitness app, notebook – even a plain to-do list – can help you see your progress. You can also set smaller achievements for yourself, like a weight goal, a 30-day streak, a new weight limit, or race time. Reward yourself when you hit milestones, whether sticking to your routine for a month or achieving a personal best.
Step #7 – Master the mindset.
Finally, focus on your mindset. Too many people underestimate how impactful your mentality really is. First of all, be patient. Fitness progress takes time. Don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t move as quickly as expected. This isn’t a linear process. Everyone has obstacles, whether a missed workout or an unexpected injury. Instead of giving up, learn from these moments and adjust your plan. The more adaptable you are, the better.
What’s your plan for reaching your 2025 health and wellness goals? Share your ideas in the comments.