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As we move into the New Year and the festive season comes to a close, most of us will be thinking of how we can get our health ‘back on track’. We will be taking a look at our diet to see what we can change, many of us will be joining gyms and exercise classes with great intentions to make a lasting difference this year!
So why is it that many people start out with great intetions but end up falling short or stopping all together? How can we really make a lasting and definitive change to our health this year?
Here are Epoch’s top 3 reasons why many of us fail to commit to a lasting health change and our top 3 way to make that purpose last!
Why do people fail to commit to a health change?
1. The goal set is too great
– setting a goal that sounds great to others but to yourself sounds impossible is a sure way not to reach it. For instance say you have never run 5 miles in your life yet this New Year you make a commitment to run a marathon in April, it is most likely that you will not make it. However if you choose to shorten your goal to a 10k run by April or a ‘couch to 5k’ initiative, there is a greater chance you will succeed. Then you can build on this success to move towards a marathon (should you wish) at a later date.
2. The goal set is too vague
– goals need to be specific and real. To set a goal ‘to get fit’ is far too obscure and has no emotional attachment. We are not driven by our goals but by the attachment or the emotion it arouses in us. So instead of saying ‘I want to get fit’ this year, think to yourself why? Maybe you want to fit into a smaller dress size for an event, if so make that your goal. Maybe you want to be able to play with your grandchildren, if so make that the goal. Set real and tangible objectives and your chances of sticking to them will be greater.
3. Time and life gets in the way
– many times goals are set during the holidays with the illusion of greater time and more freedom to do exercise, eat well and prepare meals. Then the holidays end, work starts and the school run begins. Before we know it, we are back to our old habits. And there is the operative word, habit. Make your exercise or your dietary choices routine and reduce your expected time for this to take. It could be simple as parking a little further from the school or work and therefore having to do some extra steps. It could be committing an hour on the weekend to preparing healthy meals for the week or choosing to do 20min high intensity workouts at home instead of an hour in the gym or in front of the TV in the evening.
Epoch’s top 3 tips to making a lasting change this year!
1. Work with someone
– keeping yourself and others accountable is a great way to stick to a training and health schedule. You could hire a coach or personal trainer. You could choose to train with a work colleague or you could make a promise to your family and ask them to keep you accountable to your new health routine.
2. Do something today, it’s the youngest you’ll ever be
– understanding that you won’t get the chance to repeat today’s actions tomorrow is key, even if you just walk around the block or have one extra piece of fruit, try to do something each day to boost your health as it all adds up at the end of the year.
3. Do something you enjoy
– choose an exercise you enjoy, if you love running, then run. If you dislike the gym then don’t go, choose to join a netball team or 5 aside football, whatever you choose to do, make sure it is something you enjoy and therefore will stick at.
We wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year and we know that if you keep these simple tips in mind, you really can change your health in 2018.
