Its that time of year again…. Gyms will be packed with new faces, people will be proclaiming great ambitions for the year ahead, and the supplement industry will have its best month of the year by a long shot. Today, I want to encourage you to avoid being a part of this group. The fact is New Years Resolutions don’t work. Below are 5 reasons resolutions don’t work, and some strategies that are more effective! Enjoy!

1. Resolutions Limit You- The word resolution is associated with the New Year so we assume the only time we can set a resolution is before January. Once we have lost our initial motivation, and that resolution becomes an after thought, we have no where to go because resolution season is now 10 months away. Use the word goal to describe your ambitions and you can set them year round, adjust them, and have more flexibility with the goal.
2. The Resolutions You Set are Vague- Lose weight, save money, drink more water are very vague resolutions. If you have ambitions, you must make an approach using the SMART method of goal setting. Define your goals and use specific numerical values to give you a point to aim for.
3. You Set Too Many Resolutions- If you set too many resolutions you overwhelm yourself by putting too much pressure on yourself, all at once. A list of 10 things you must change about yourself immediately will lead you to probably fail at all 10. Set 1 -3 goals, analyze a path to reach those goals, and stay focused on why you want to reach the goals you set.
4. You Fail to Write The Resolutions Down If you are just proclaiming your resolution while talking with friends or family, and not writing them down, you are 100% likely to fail.  A goal without a plan is just a wish and wishes rarely materialize to anything more than day dreams. I recommend you have somewhere like a journal or a word document that you log your goals and track your progress.
5. You Don’t Know How to Reach Your Resolution- Sometimes reaching a resolution is beyond your scoop of knowledge, and reaching your goal will require outside help. This can be the case if you are trying to lose weight, save money, or quit a bad habit like smoking. I am a little biased but I recommend bringing in an outside source to hold you accountable. And if you need personal training you know where to go!