5 Steps to Slay New Year Resolutions

With the coming of every new year comes the resounding chorus of 'New Year, New Me!' Well maybe not this year (if you're been burnt too often). As we snort into our morning coffee on 1st January, contemplating the fate of our own resolutions...

Know that you're not alone.

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If making resolutions make you feel like, this… same guuuurl..

Most people give up on their resolutions within weeks of setting resolutions for the new year. Sick of joining in the millions of those who fail to carry through on their resolutions? How do you avoid the pitfalls of crafting goals that set you up for failure rather than success? Don't worry, I've gotchu 💖 Read on to find out my top tips to help you make new year resolutions that you can keep in 2024!

1. Set a specific and measurable goal

When I first started on my journey, thinking of having to lose 100lbs would been TERRIFYING.

Me at 118kg, post steamboat buffet (Look how happy I was!) No dieting for me, tyvm.

Attempting to take even the first step towards a goal without a roadmap for success can be tough. I would likely never have started, faced by this gargantuan task. 👉 Where do I start? 👉 What do I do? 👉 Who should I seek help from?

If you don't know where you're going, then you're heading nowhere (or in circles).

So instead of creating goals that may be too vague, such as 'get fit in 2024', having a clear end in mind then breaking down it down into more manageable chunks helps. You can then come up with more concrete action steps towards realizing it (for real now) A helpful framework (a tad overused perhaps, but still highly effective!) to guide your goal-setting exercise would be to create goals that are the SMART conditions.

Make goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (SMART).

Knowing what is needed to get you to your goal allows for greater focus and clarity. For someone seeking to practice for their first race, it could mean focusing on breaking down what it takes to run a marathon in 2024. 👉 How often are you currently running?

👉 Do you need better stamina? 👉 What's the speed you'd need to clock before exceeding race time? (I ask this because I'm not even kidding, my first race I joined when I was 100+kg took me 3 hours... and I walked most ways but there was no finish line because the race had ended!!!) So what a good goal to start you off with would be: "Start training twice a week for 20 minutes initially, THEN increasing frequency and duration every 4 weeks." "All with the goal of running 5km by March 2024" With such a clear goal in mind, you'll have measurable ways to track progress throughout your journey.

Me struggling on a 10km run at 100kg… But I still did it!

Meeting each milestone allows you to refine your goal to level up just that little bit more. Before you know it, you will be just a tiny hop away from your final goal!

2. Tag a new habit to an existing routine

Wanting to start the new year with an ENTIRE overhaul of your existing way of life sounds like a fantastic idea. I see this so often - wanting to get started on their goals so enthusiastically, so many start making extreme statements. Is this you? 👇

• I'm going to swear off ALL CARBS, NO MORE SUGAR FOR ME.

• Sorry I CAN'T EAT OUT, I'm on a diet for the next 3 months.

• I will wake up at 5AM EVERY DAY and run for 30 minutes!

But think about this... Let's say your favorite habit FOR YEARS is watching the latest Netflix series or playing mobile games: Starting 1st January you decide to follow a 5-day strength training routine you found online AND replacing all your usual food delivery orders with homemade meals. AND removing all junk foods you'd usually chomp on unthinkingly while throughout the day.

AND avoiding all social meals to avoid 'temptations'... That's what I call going cold turkey from life. And that's when your willpower will be severely tested. Within 2 to 3 weeks, your extreme change will not just take a toll on your body but also mentally and emotionally. That's when most people give up. Meet the classic phenomenon of the same old, new year resolutions...

This is the last thing you want for 2024. Start today!

I would know this because I faced the same exact struggles. Every time I used to see my weight increase, I would feel so worried that I'd hop on an extreme caloric deficit just so that I can get a fast result by XX number of days. I was so fearful of putting on weight, not understanding that the weight loss journey isn't a linear process but filled with ups and downs. That's when I found myself saying "I'll restart my diet tomorrow..." over and over again. Wanting to go all out and achieve a COMPLETE overhaul on lifestyle habits (including fitness and nutrition) backfires. Years of habitual thought and actions are unlikely to be willed away.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?

For sustained changes, improve existing habits by replacing it with another healthier habit!

The best example would be eating habits.

Instead of eliminating sugar completely, consider swapping out artificial sweeteners with natural sources of sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth. This could mean consuming a piece of fruit with Greek yogurt as dessert once in awhile initially, instead of a candy bar every night.

Instead of 3 pieces of fried chicken with your bento set, aim for one friend item and 2 other grilled options. Remember, we are all creatures of habit. And even if we do manage to get excellent results from a highly extreme diet with low, low caloric intake... If we don't update our 'operation systems', which is our daily habits and attitudes towards health, fitness and nutrition... We will never be able to SUSTAIN our results. So try habit SWAPPING instead of ELIMINATING what you're so, so used to. Thank me later.

3. Set prompts and eliminate distractions

What other ways can you hack your own lifestyle habits to improve your success rate for resolutions? Especially since working from home is such a common phenomenon now, and the convenience of home delivery...

So many of us lead largely sedentary lifestyles. This can be highly detrimental to our fitness goals. I once had a friend confess she walks less than 500 steps every day whenever she works from home! Struggling to achieve fitness goals she's set and broken far too many times, she bemoans: "But how can I even make time when I'm meant to be at my desk ALL DAY LONG?" Now, to make full use of opportunities for active movement requires some pre-planning. IT IS POSSIBLE to form routines that can fit seamlessly into existing lifestyle habits.

For instance, if you KNOW that you might choose to sleep in instead of heading out for an early morning jog before your first online meeting for the day... Create routines that help you ease into this habit. Make it easy to reach for your pre-workout caffeine fix, place your running gear by your bedside, and create personal rules that you will abide by. One that I personally swear by while training in the wee hours of the morning since my first ever race was this (feel free to steal it for yourself):

Once my socks are on, the running shoes have to as well. The run proceeds, come hell or high water.

Till today this principle works very well for me. Have you heard of Pavlov's theory of learning? I decided to condition myself. Through years of self-training, this habit is so ingrained in me that even if I have a hectic morning schedule, I still manage to squeeze in steps!

So don't underestimate the power of setting yourself up for success just through the smallest of actions.

4. Celebrate small achievements

Let's talk about the main reason why so many decide to work with a fitness coach.

Accountability and motivation. It's really not easy to squeeze out time to fit in more physical activity. Especially with the onslaught of online meetings called on at the very last minute, fluid deadlines and just life, really.

Knowing how to readjust existing expectations of what success means will help tremendously.

Instead of being quick to beat yourself up over failing to sustain your new habits, think of each day as an opportunity to start anew. Celebrate even the smallest achievements. A day with some activity, is better than none at all, so this could be something as small as taking one flight of stairs instead of the escalator...

Adding in 5 minutes of pacing around your room in between online meetings

Or merely spending more time fidgeting while seated! One of my favorite quotes I heard years ago is this: "If you're not going to be in your own corner, who else will?"

We have to be our own greatest cheerleader. The onus is on us to make a difference in our own lives.

Not anyone else.

So start small. One thing that I've consistently done the past year was to practice with a gratitude journaling habit! Ask yourself what you're grateful for (just 3 things at the start)... Soon you'll start recognizing yourself as the STAR you are.

5. My ultimate strategy for sustained results

If you want to find out why diets fail... Just know that extreme measures only look at the short term. Consistency is the key to success, and this extends to your life AFTER achieving results. The last thing you would want is to pour your heart and soul into attaining fitness goals... Then revert to your usual habits, which leads to a vicious cycle of (ironically) setting the same-old new year resolutions.

Consider how you can incrementally optimize the various pillars that form the foundation of a healthy and active life. Beyond exercise, sleep, stress management, nutrition and mindset are all part of the equation! Here's the formula that has informed my coaching philosophy for years.

AMFIT Hierarchy of Holistic Fat Loss

Before you even think about going all out with an extreme fitness regime, work on making small tweaks to existing habits. Even if I see a client for training 3 times a week... That's only 3 hours out of 168 hours a week.

How are you making healthier choices to improve the 165 hours outside of the gym?

Healthy habits will slowly gain momentum as time passes by. Top it with strength training For instance, if you enjoy fast food thrice a week, you could start by swapping one item from your fast food meal with a healthier alternative, while keeping the same frequency of dining. The next step could be to reduce the frequency to twice a week, while swapping out the sugary drinks in your meal with water. Then reduce the frequency even more, to just once a week...

While having a side salad instead of fries... Before you know it, this would taper fast food intake down to an occasional treat, without having you feel the pinch of abstinence.

This is why I focus on SUSTAINABLE and HOLISTIC fat loss approaches, which provides the foundation of not just achieving but keeping your hard-earned results. For life. Think long-term, not just in time for summer.

If you're sick of jumping from fad diets to extreme fitness regimes...

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Let me take you from yoyo-dieting, confused and frustrated by the end of January every year... to nourishing your body well without sacrificing your favorite foods! Mastering healthy habits took me years of expensive private coaching, complicated formal accreditations and repeated cycles of trial-and-error.  But it doesn’t have to be the same for you.

I’ve condensed my lifelong knowledge and skills into a compact 10 week live coaching program meant to teach you how to implement a flexible approach to eating into your existing lifestyle habits.

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I'll guide you step-by-step through mastering the whys and hows of a gentle approach to nutrition, rebuild a positive relationship with food, and free yourself from the chains of guilt and anxiety that comes from rigid dieting regimes. Nutrition makes up 80% of your fitness success.

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Lean lifestyle habits are now within your reach in 2024!

Remember that the new year is a new start, and you are the captain of your ship.

You CAN achieve your goals, but only if you're truly on the right track. Let's break free from the shackles of clean eating's mental paradox. This involves recognizing the importance of balance, variety, and the holistic nourishment of both body, heart and mind. Join the AMFIT community today by keeping up to date with me on Instagram. If you'd love to work with a certified women's health and fitness coach, feel free to book a call and let's connect. For more holistic health and fitness tips, subscribe to my writing on Medium. Lastly, if you're a fellow fitness professional, I'd love to hear from you on LinkedIn!