Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions

There is something about a new year that is so fresh. I think everybody feels a sense of renewal during the first of the year. People set out to make a New Year’s Resolution and there is so much enthusiasm in the beginning. This enthusiasm lasts a few months and then by March or April the freshness is gone and the enthusiasm is lacking. I am not familiar with the statistics but I am guessing over half of the New Year’s resolutions that people make will be broken by the time the snow starts melting. I am not trying to be a pessimist but rather a realist. I think the real reason that New Year’s resolutions don’t last is because people don’t have a plan. Take, for instance, the resolution to “get in shape.” What does this mean, exactly? What is the time period? How are you going to accomplish this? Why? How are you measuring success? Without a plan you are setting yourself up for failure.

Last year I made the New Year’s resolution to exercise for at least 30 minutes, 7 days a week.  It did not matter what type of exercise I did or where. This goals was specific and measurable, but it was also ambitious. At first I was successful. I exercised for at least 30 minutes every day for the first 5 months. Many days I exercised for much longer than 30 minutes as I started training for a triathlon. At some point over the summer my life started to get really busy again and I was driving to Denver often and struggling to exercise 7 days a week. By August I had broken my resolution and was down to 3-4 days a week of exercise. I had failed at my New Year’s resolution. My mistake? Although exercising at least 30 minutes a is healthy, it was not realistic. I did not take into account factors such as sick days, busy days, sleepless nights, and weather.

This year I will not be making a resolution. Instead, I decided to set positive goals for 2015. What is the difference between a goal and a resolution? A resolution is a general idea of what you want to accomplish. Examples of a resolution include wanting to lose weight, get in shape, eat healthier, avoid sugar, run a marathon, or increase muscle mass. Another problem with New Year’s resolutions is they tend to be all or nothing. There is no room for setbacks. You either stick to your resolution or you fail. The other problem with a resolution is the lack of planning and specifics. Instead, try setting goals for the New Year that are simple, realistic, targeted, and clear.

A goal should be S.M.A.R.T or Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. I will use myself as an example of a SMART goal. I just signed up for a marathon in May. Specific: I have signed up for a marathon on May 3rd and plan to run the marathon in under 3 hours and 20 minutes to qualify for the Boston marathon. Measurable: I will keep track of my running distance and time every day so I can track the progress of my training plan. Attainable: I know that I may not be able to train every day so I plan to make sure I get at least one long run, one track or hill workout, and one medium distance tempo workout every week. Realistic: I know that I will be unable to set a PR in the marathon given my work schedule, however, having 3 key workouts a week is realistic. Timely: I have 4 months to train for the race.

Now think about what you want to accomplish in 2015 and set some SMART goals. Feel free to share them with me. If you tell people about your goals it makes you accountable for your goals and can be motivating. Good luck!