New year… new me? Data suggests we have a follow-through problem with resolutions
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The numbers vary, but research suggests anywhere from 50–94% of people drop their New Year’s resolutions by the year’s end. KRDO13’s Bradley Davis met with a professional fitness trainer to find out the formula for holding to your “better you.”
While fitness goals are far from the only type of resolution, Life Time trainer Summer Jackson tells us methods that can be applied to all different types of disciplines.
“You just want to stack your habits with what you’re already doing,” Jackson said. “If you’re brewing coffee in the morning, do 5 minutes of mobility every time you make coffee.”
She calls the second Friday of January “quitter’s week.” That aligns with habit-building research, which suggests it takes at least three weeks for a new action to become consistent, and up to three months for the change to become long-lasting.
To make it through the habit-building process, Jackson suggests setting reasonable goals. Start small and build your way up. If you go too hard on Monday, and you’re too sore to continue by Friday, your resolution is already on life support.
Instead, Jackson recommends mild, 10-30 minute workouts in the beginning. Don’t let it become something you dread.
If you’re quitting something but starting something new, interject those and it’ll become a little easier,” Jackson said. She gives the example of an improved diet. “That is a huge one, and so many people get too caught up in that. They do too much! Focus on one thing, like eating protein at every single meal.”