Matt Dionne | Editor-in-Chief
Featured image courtesy of Jasmine Wiradharma
‘New year, new me’ is a mantra you’ve undoubtedly heard (or even said) at least once in your life.
The new year provides many people with the chance for a fresh start. While I personally don’t believe you have to wait for the date to change to start bettering yourself, apparently not everyone agrees.
Many people make some sort of life-improving vow to better themselves in some way when January 1 arrives. One of the most common, newly-made commitments, is the commitment to fitness.
Every year, the gym is flooded with new people who have the goal of ‘finally sticking to a fitness routine this year.’ After the winter break, Tait is consistently packed with these hopeful individuals.
This is an especially frustrating time of year for the regular gym-goer. We have to deal with these newbies hogging the equipment (often using it incorrectly), talking with their friends, and pushing a 30-minute workout to sometimes twice that length.
That being said, I’m not saying if you’re among this group you shouldn’t try and make fitness a priority in your life. Far from it, I think if more people took care of their physical health it would reduce the burden on our already-exhausted healthcare system. The problem is people who commit to a gym routine every day… for about two-and-a-half weeks.
The people who didn’t go to the gym for months before the new year—who suddenly think they’re going to go every day—these people never last.
In fact, only eight per cent of people who make a new year’s resolution stick to it, according to a recent study. Part of the reason for this is people don’t set achievable goals.
Too often, the common person sets a goal that is out of reach, then gets frustrated when they don’t achieve it in the time they had hoped. This, of course, results in the abandonment of their entire resolution.
Instead, experts recommend setting smaller, more attainable, specific goals. For example, rather than resolving to lose weight, which is vague, a better resolution would be to cut out all sugary drinks. Rather than committing to going to the gym more often, commit to doing cardio or lifting weights on Mondays and Wednesdays—something that is specific and manageable increases the likelihood of success.
Additionally, when it comes to achieving goals, accountability is key. If you want to commit to maintaining a fitness routine, involve a friend or coworker, or chart your progress via social media. Having someone else to keep you accountable will increase your chances of success.
So if you’re one of the people who has decided to take up fitness as your new year’s resolution, set achievable, specific goals, and incorporate your friends and family to keep you accountable. That way, next year, you won’t be making the same resolution.
