G
Go to the gym every day, lose five kilos, only
have one cheat day per week. Let us guess –
these were your resolutions last year and you’re
hoping for the same this year. So why aren’t you
there yet? Chances are life, pizza and Netflix
got in the way. It’s not just you, three in four of
us fail to achieve new year resos, according to
research by Fitness First. That’s a whopping
75 per cent of us not getting to where we want
to be. Here’s the thing: ‘goal inertia’ is what
happens to most of us after the thrill of making
lofty plans wears off, usually by the end of Jan.
To stop this happening to you, try to understand
the psychology behind goal setting, so you can
make promises you’ll actually keep. Here’s how...STEP
1
WORK OUT
WHAT DRIVES
YOU TO STICK
TO A GOAL
First, figure out
why you’ve failed
to stick to your
resolutions in the
past. Everyone is
different in what
drives them to
keep at a goal
and what makes
them drop the
ball. Take this
quiz from WH
emotions expert
Dr Alice Boyes
to see what you
need to fix.Are you
sabotaging
your goals?(^1) For your number one
health goal, do you have a
plan for handling the most
common internal obstacle?
(Eg, if it’s ‘to go to the
gym after work’ your
obstacle might be that
you’re often too tired.)
A Yes, I have a specific “if
then” plan as a back-up.
B I have a plan but it’s
pretty vague.
C I have no plan and no
ideas I think would work.
(^2) How aware are you
of which goal-sticking
strategies work and don’t
work for you?
A I know exactly what
works for me, eg,
whether I need external
accountability or if
someone checking up
on me makes me feel
a bit rebellious.
B I know what works for
me but I don’t use
those strategies.
C I have no idea at all.
(^3) If you’ve attempted
a goal previously but
didn’t succeed, have
you got a solid plan for
overcoming the main
obstacle you hit last time?
A Yes, and it’s a plan
I’m confident in.
B Sort of.
C No, or my plan is the
same plan that didn’t
work before.
4 Do you ‘bite off more
than you can chew’ when
it comes to your goals?
A No, I keep a balance
between my health goals
and all of my other
goals (eg, work goals
- and relaxation goals)
B A bit. I’ll probably give
up on some of my goals,
but stick to others.
C My goals are totally
reasonable. For an
Olympic athlete.
(^5) If you have several
goals competing for your
time and willpower, do
you have a clear idea
of their priorities?
A Yes, crystal.
B It’s hard for me to
identify my top goal
among several.
C I’ve never thought
about this.
QUICK
TIP
Keep a ‘goal’ journal,
and make your resos
a project. You’ll learn
to recognise the areas
letting you down and
where to improve to
reach your goals.
NEW YEAR GOAL #INSPO
Health resolutions that team
WH are reaching for in 2017
“Fix my tech neck with a
chiro/yoga/good sleep plan”
Adam Williams, Creative Director
“Take up ballet and
become a ballerina!”
Ashleigh Austen, Beauty Editor
DON’T
DROP THE
BALL
PHOTOGRAPHY:
GILES
MARIE
ZIMMERMANN/FIGAROPHOTO/CONTOUR
STYLE
BY
GETTY
IMAGES
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