How to set and achieve your New Year Goals
Our top 6 tips on how to set realistic New Year goals this January and how to stick with them!
Posted on Mon 2 Jan 2023
January means it’s New Year’s Resolution time!
A New Year brings around a new sense of purpose and often people use this opportunity to reflect on the person they want to be and what they want to achieve.
And goal setting is a huge part of that. Because we only become who we want to be through what we do and that comes from the habits we adopt.
According to YouGov, the top new year's resolutions of 2021 were:
- Exercise more (50%)
- Lose weight (48%)
- Improve my diet (39%)
Great goals and usually a great start to achieving it, but many often struggle to remain consistent.
But not this time!! This is the year you are going to set and achieve exactly what you set out to do.
We will be sharing our top tips on how to set realistic New Year goals this January and how to stick with them!
1. Plan your workouts and meals in your diary
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail (can you tell we’ve been listening to Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ album all Christmas?)
In order to stick to those New Year’s resolutions, planning is key!
Routine is key for staying on track with your health. So get organising using our favourite planner the Wellness Journal from Papier!
It allows you to track your goals, habits, meals, water intake, sleep and all the wonderful things you’re grateful for.
2. It’s not all or nothing
Setting up an entire year of goals is a pretty huge task!
So remember not to be too harsh on yourself if you don’t get into a groove straight away.
If you only exercise once instead of 3 times one week, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
Life gets busy, and you’re doing your best.
Just jump back into a routine and don’t let yourself give up!
Not sticking to your plan for 1 day out of 365 of the year is not the end of the world. The best thing you can do is look into why you didn’t feel you could achieve your goals that week.
Could you be making changes to your lifestyle that will help you get back on track?
And don’t wait til the following week to get back on track! Tomorrow is a new day and there’s also no time like the present!
Remind yourself of your goals, your “why” for wanting to be healthier, and get yourself back to smashing your goals in the morning.
3. Find an accountability buddy/group
Setting yourself targets is one thing, but actually checking in to see if you hit them is the hard part!
That’s why having a supportive group or person to go to to help you stick to your goals really helps!
The Work Me Shape Me Community is filled with inspiring individuals, who, just like you, want to keep active and have a balanced lifestyle! Check out our next event coming up this Saturday.
Help hit your goals by keeping one other accountable. And workout together to keep each other motivated!
4. Set small, achievable goals
No-one picks up running tomorrow and then is ready to run a marathon in a week.
In order to reach a goal you have to start small.
And that means setting realistic daily, weekly and monthly targets to hit.
Aiming too high too fast can make resolutions unachievable, and results in many people quickly giving up on their New Year’s resolutions all together.
Saying you’ll meal prep 4 meals a week, exercise 3-4 times a week and aim to have lost x kg a month is a great starting point. And to do this, all you have to do is cook 2 batches of food (to make your lunch and dinner meals 4 times a week), book in your 3-4 workouts in your diary and keep an eye on your progress every 1-2 weeks to assess how you feel and if you are on track.
If this is too hard, then reduce your goals. If this is too easy, then tailor it to your progress.
Like Atomic Habits author James Clear says "A slight change in your daily habits can guide your life to a different destination."
Make small changes daily and those big goals will be achieved easily through consistency.
You can grab your copy of Atomic Habits here.
5. Do not compare your progress to others
Comparison is the thief of joy.
You will never feel happy with where you’re at on your journey if you compare it to someone else.
Everyone must start somewhere, and everyone is totally different.
Some people you know wish they were where you are now.
Stay focused, keep at it, and the results will come.
All you can do is live the life that makes you happy and makes you feel good.
Going at your own pace means you’ll also be able to keep your journey going long term.
Hard work pays off, and requires a strong mindset.
Nothing happens over night.
Stay determined, be patient, and you will get there.
6. Change up your lifestyle
Evaluate your current social calendar and see where you can make healthier changes.
When meeting up with friends, how about getting a workout done in the morning first? Or invite your friends to join you! Or swap a shopping for a morning trip with workout and brunch!
When socialising with your work mates, encourage others to take up healthier habits. Swap the boozy after work pub trip for a group exercise class and meal at a nice restaurant! Or you could exercise first then have drinks! We promise the drink will taste even better and it’ll feel more rewarding. We often find that, once you take that first baby step towards making a healthier choice, such as starting to exercise, it has a domino effect of making you subconsciously make other healthier lifestyle choices.
There are so many nice ways to socialise with your friends, that keep you eating healthily, moving your body, and will actually save you money.