For many, a new year offers a sense of a fresh start. Although it’s simply a flip of a calendar, it’s a great time to put into action the thoughts and wants you’ve had for a long time. Often, they’re based around fitness goals, be it to lose fat, get fitter or build muscle.

The trouble is, as you probably know, far too many times new year resolutions fade out and they’re forgotten about by the time February rolls around.

So, what can you do in order to make sure your resolution isn’t just a passing thought?

Plan in Advance

You need to make sure that your resolution is one you definitely want to achieve, not just a rash thought. Of course, you’ll have already made your resolution by now, so if you feel yourself slipping, this might be a good point to re-evaluate and assess what you truly want to try to achieve.

Understand Your Why

At the core of everything you do, there should be a ‘why’. Understanding what this is will allow you to understand how to fuel your inner drive and motivation. Try to think deeper than normal, and really take a look at why you want to achieve this resolution, not just ‘what’ the resolution is. For example, one common goal is to lose weight. This comes with many health benefits, however your real emotional ‘why’ might be far from this.

Define Your Goals Specifically

Let’s say you’re a runner. Your over-arching goal might be to simply be able to run faster. However, without narrowing your focus, it will be very hard to know how to achieve this. From here, the natural step is to set a target time for a specific event.

Next, you can start to create a more concrete plan of how you are going to achieve this and set smaller training goals. This will help you make you feel like your goal is more achievable and allow you to stay on track.

Accountability

This is a huge one. It’s important to be accountable for your actions in some way, otherwise it becomes far too easy to do nothing about achieving your goals. For many, this might be finally getting round to hiring a personal trainer. Not only will you learn valuable skills, you’ll have someone to answer to each week.

Sharing your goals with friends and family members will also help you to achieve in the same way. As well as accountability, friends and family can offer a great feeling of support if it gets tough for you.

Small Changes

It’s easy to have an all or nothing attitude when it comes to new year resolutions. This can result in you completely eliminating unhealthy food, or training every day of the week. The truth is, this will only make you crave what you can’t have and tire you physically and mentally.

It’s much healthier and more achievable to not beat yourself up if you slip up and to allow yourself treats from time to time. You’ll get a better feeling of control and your target won’t become an unnecessary stress.