New Year’s Resolutions, Part 1: Resolution “Secrets”

It seems every holiday season is just a little more crazy than the year before. Between the shopping, the parties, the Christmas concerts, and all the “extras” that fill every moment, there’s not much time to sit around and reflect. On top of this, we feel a sense of urgency as the calendar days quickly close in on the beginning of a New Year. At this time, tradition insists that we assess whether we’ve made good with our goals for the year, and then turn around and drum up some new goals before the beginning of the next. (The pressure almost makes you want to resolve to start some bad habits, doesn’t it?)

If you were to ask a sample of people to list their resolutions, you’d likely hear the same old goals: get fit, lose weight, stop smoking/drinking/over-spending –- basically quit all our bad habits and adopt some better ones. I’m always naively optimistic when I hear people describe the commitment they are going to make to improve their health and lifestyle. Yet what they do contradicts what they say they want.

The classic "fix everything that's ever been wrong with me" list.

With a feast-famine mentality, these resolutions are often preceded by six weeks of holiday indulgences. Just like the trampling pandemonium of Black Friday shopping, people feel they must get their fill of fun before the New Year of restraint starts.

In early January the gyms are packed with penitents. Then, just as quickly as the gyms filled, they empty. By mid-February, we see again that good intentions petered out before the 3-5 lbs of holiday weight gain even got a chance to say goodbye.

People who already have good health and fitness habits (or think they do) often turn to less egocentric resolutions: to spend more time with loved ones, to enjoy life more, to learn something new, and to be more charitable. I certainly have great respect for those who consider ways they can contribute to something bigger than themselves; it’s a humbling reminder of something lost on the holiday season.

But again, good hearts and good intentions don’t always equal success.

One study (Norcross et al 2002; full citation below) suggested that about half of Americans typically make New Year’s Resolutions. They found that 77% of resolvers stuck to it for one week, 55% for one month, and 40% for six months. But at the two-year mark, only 19% of resolvers were still successful. So, let’s see… doing the math…

0.19 x 0.5 = 0.095

0.095 x 100 = 9.5%

Yes, fewer than 10% of people –- 1 out of every 10 people –- make and stick to a New Year’s Resolution successfully.

On the other hand, the authors try to put an optimistic slant on it: “In this case, the success rate of resolutions is approximately ten times higher than the success rate of adults desiring to change their behavior but not making a resolution.” Well, true. You have to start somewhere, I guess.

Why don’t resolutions work?

The idea behind making a resolution is sound: a person commits to reforming a habit or an aspect of their lifestyle to achieve a specific goal. In theory, a New Year’s resolution is a great example of successful goal setting, much like the type of goal setting we use here at PN:

• you establish goals at regular intervals (in this case, once a year)
• you assess the outcome (year end review)
• you adjust or set new goals regularly (New Year resolutions)

With January symbolizing “out with the old, in with the new”, it’s a convenient time to start fresh, and clear the slate of the past years “should-have-done”s. So far, this all looks pretty good.

However, unlike PN, although most New Year’s resolutioners can identify the outcomes they would like to achieve in a given year, they usually don’t create the plan for execution. Without a plan, resolutions are too vague to hold value over time. There is no commitment behind the resolution and no defined means of support to achieve the goal.

In addition, planning involves careful consideration of what, exactly, you are trying to achieve. Resolutions made hastily are not well thought out and remain shallow, empty promises lacking real meaning. Without an understanding of why these outcomes are important and the reasons behind them, motivation wanes. Eventually resolutions are tossed aside as quickly as that new gym membership card or latest diet book.

In their study of resolutioners, Norcross et al identified a few factors that they found predicted success.

What helped:

• Being in charge of and taking responsibility for one’s own change (rather than looking to someone else)
• Readiness to change
• Positive thinking
• Surrounding oneself with reminders of their goals, and what to do right (such as motivational quotes or pictures)
• Avoiding triggers for problem behaviour (for example, they didn’t keep tempting food or cigarettes in the house)

What didn’t help:

• Desire to change (just wanting it isn’t enough)
• Self-reevaluation and self-blame (thinking about how your problem hurts you and/or other people; self-criticism)
• Wishing the problem wasn’t there
• Minimizing the threat (aka “Well, it’s not a big deal, really”)

As the list above shows, just wanting something isn’t enough, nor is disliking the current state of affairs. It’s the process of planning and setting actions in place that shape the behaviours that lead to the changed outcome.

Even if we have a few good short-term plans (such as “get a gym membership next week”), lack of long term planning leaves us without contingencies and flexibility for what may lie ahead. Goals can change and life happens along the way. For instance, what if you end up too busy to get that gym membership next week?

In Part 2 of this article next week, we’ll look at some strategies for getting those resolutions to stick. For now, let’s see what the experts are doing, and what features their resolutions share.

No perfect time

When we strive for perfection, the setbacks and challenges that are inevitable can leave us feeling that the only option is to quit and start anew when the time is right. If someone has found that elusive perfect time, let me know. I gave up on a long time ago but if it’s out there, I want in.

Looking back on my own year, I don’t really remember setting any resolutions or goals last January. When I think about all that’s happened over the past 12 months, I feel good about what I’ve achieved in 2008. I appreciate how much progress I have made (and how much work there still is to do…) towards a better, physical me.

But this is really just part of a personal commitment I made a long time ago: to get stronger, fitter and healthier with every decade. As I turn 40, 50 and so on, my goal is to feel that I am the best I have ever been. That is my resolution I make every day; not something that can be left to fulfill when life is sweet as roses.

There are goals I have for myself that might be fitting for a New Year’s Resolution. More recently I have been much more aware of the impact of my food sources on the environment and on my own health. My goal is to include a greater variety of vegetarian meals in my diet and to get as much of my food from local farmers as possible. But even though the year is almost over, it wouldn’t occur to me to wait until Jan 1st to start this.

Am I missing something?

What do the experts do?

I was not only perplexed by this whole resolutions thing, I was curious.

What do the Precision Nutrition experts out there do? Not only are these some of the most successful people I know but they are all past losing weight, getting in shape, and eating better. What the heck would they be putting on their list for 2009?

Well, I asked and they told all.

Dr. John Berardi, Founder of Precision Nutrition:

Making resolutions isn’t something that resonates with me.

If there’s something about myself I want to improve, the first thing I do is find someone who’s competent in this specific area. The next step is to talk to them about what books I should be reading, about which experts I should be consulting with, and about which events I should be attending. Then I create an action plan for bringing up my competency in this area with the help of these resources. I usually give myself about 2 weeks to get all of this done. Human nature dictates that without a timeline, it could drag on forever. Finally, I put my plan into action — reading, consulting, and attending relevant events.

I guess I could start this process around the New Year. But I prefer to start it whenever it’s time to improve.

Krista Schaus, Lean Eating Coach:

I don’t really do the New Year’s Resolution thing, as I am always inspired to make positive change in my life regardless of the holiday or time of year.

However, I am going to try to do my part to eat more consciously and am finding new ways to get my protein intake without endangering the environment and robbing resources. I have purchased a slew of vegetarian protein powders from artichoke to amaranth and have found many high protein ancient and pseudo-grains to add to my diet. Beans also will become more of a staple. Thanks, Ryan, for the inspiration! I had no idea the meat industry gobbled up so many resources unneccesarily.

Ryan Andrews, Lean Eating Coach, Director of Research, Precision Nutrition:

I’m devoting more time, energy and money towards non-profit organizations that aim to alleviate human malnutrition and animal cruelty.

Lindsay Yeo, Customer Service Agent, Precision Nutrition:

I’ve sort of been mulling over this for awhile now, trying to figure out how next year can be even better!

Now the majority of my volunteer time is devoted to epilepsy-related fundraisers and of course I want to stick with those for many years to come. The other thing I would really like to work on in the New Year is to find other potential avenues to be involved in epilepsy awareness. Whether it’s coming up with new ways to donate my time, or becoming more involved in events where I can meet and share my experiences with others in a similar position, or with a large group of people (e.g. Sick Kids hospital often needs parents or former patients to tell their stories to new nurses or residents working at the hospital — I have never stood in front of a group and talked about my time as a patient there, but maybe this year will be the year!).

I can never do too much for something I feel so passionately about, but I’d love to have a wide variety of ways to be involved.

Women’s fitness expert Casandra Forsythe:

In truth, I don’t think I’ve made a list of “resolutions” in at least 10 years. I usually use the days around New Year to write out my “Year in Review”. This is where I write out all I did and accomplished in the past year. I reflect on what I learned and what I could have possibly done differently. Then, I re-write my goal list for the next year based on what I wasn’t able to complete, and make new goals.

For example, some of last year’s goals were to plan and carry out my wedding without freaking out (which I did up until the last week…), and to finish my dissertation (which I haven’t done yet…). So, this year, I’ll continue to finish my dissertation, but do other things I want to do, such as write another book (it’s a secret on what it’s on… but it’s going to be good) and work in a Strength and Conditioning facility. I guess I just don’t believe in resolutions and that’s why I don’t make any. I just make goals and if they get accomplished, great. If not, there’s always next year. C’est la vie!

Eric Cressey, president and cofounder of Cressey Performance, and PN Advisor:

Never been much of a resolutions guy myself. I actually wrote an entire article about my resolutions mindset!

Here’s an excerpt:

Before I get to the meat and potatoes, I need to define the scope of this article. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that if you’re reading this magazine, you’re reasonably devoted to your health, appearance, and performance (or at least the first one). With that in mind, if your resolutions consist of “general health” things like “eat nutritious foods” or “get more sleep,” I’d encourage you to take the power cord to your computer and beat yourself senseless with it. Your number one responsibility on this planet should be the one to yourself. If you can’t handle the responsibility of taking care of yourself, how can you possibly expect to be good at taking care of others? We accept all kinds of responsibilities –- jobs, children, mortgages, pets, you name it –- but often ignore our responsibility to ourselves all the while. Being healthy is something that you should reaffirm with every action you take in every minute of your life; you don’t need to resolve to “try harder” in 2005. You need to quit talking and start acting.

I’m just encouraging you to break your long-term goals into smaller tasks and omit the classic one-year resolution altogether. If you can’t even accomplish short-term tasks specific to your goal, then how can you resolve to get things done over the course of an entire year? If you’re saving up for a vacation, do you expect to “earn” the money in lump sums off of 4-5 winning scratch tickets, or do you bust your butt day in and day out at work, accumulating a few bucks with every paycheck to get your closer to your goal? Why go for the whole shebang when you can’t even get part of it right? Have your long-term goals, and then recognize what you can do right now to get to them; stay away from the half-assed in-between stuff, leaving New Year’s resolutions to those who won’t even be going to the gym anymore by the end of February.

Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon, Editor-in-Chief, Spezzatino and Research Director, Healthy Food Bank:

This question stumped me for a few New Years until I figured out what else I could do. Actually I make quarterly resolutions, inspired by a former client who was an accountant. And because I declared one year in July while eating a fabulous bowl of soup that my new life plan was to eat more soup, my husband and I purposely make pointless Mid-Year Resolutions, such as “Cross more at crosswalks”, “Nap on the couch more”, and “Wear more green.” And I did make that year the soupiest year ever! Practice silly resolutions, and you’ll get better at serious ones.

I also believe in things like:

• daily goal setting (usually just a list of tasks or objectives for the day –- takes 30 seconds to write down)
• setting process rather than outcome goals (e.g. “training 3 times weekly” instead of “get in shape”)
• thinking about what conditions need to be in place for success to occur (e.g. get a coffee maker with a timer for morning workouts)
• taking small steps (I like small daily chunks of time, e.g. spend 15 min on Task X, every day. In the case of morning workouts, I don’t think “I have to work out”; I think “I just have to get to that coffee maker!”)

Most importantly, I don’t wait. I like immediate resolutions – I mean this MINUTE. What can I do, RIGHT NOW, to work towards my goals? Just as PN emphasizes that each meal is an opportunity to improve your body or make it worse, each moment that passes offers an opportunity for productive time and brainpower use. Seize them.

Carter Schoffer, PN Advisor and Chief Transformation Coach at PN’s sister entitiy, Body Transformation Inc.:

I don’t believe in resolutions.

Whether for fun, career, health or for the good of others, it seems that each person approaches goal setting and success in similar ways. They identify specific areas for improvement, bite off small manageable chunks, make a plan that includes immediate action, and figure out how to stick to their guns. And they remember which strategies have worked best for them in the past.

It seems to be rubbing off on Precision Nutrition members:

Wendy Creek (gottasing), PN Lean Eating member:

I was just thinking this morning that I have no need for a New Year’s Resolution. I just have to keep doing what I’m doing.

Though the tradition of New Year’s Resolutions will always be tied to Janus, the mythical symbol who could look both back on past events and forward to the future, tradition does not necessarily bring success. No matter what the date, embrace the opportunity for goal setting and new beginnings everyday.

Start now.

In Part II, we’ll outline the strategies that will ensure that the “you” of December 2009 can look back proudly on how far you’ve come.

Norcross, John C.; Mrykalo, Marci S.; Blagys, Matthew D. Auld lang syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year’s resolvers and nonresolvers. Journal of Clinical Psychology 58 no.4 (April 2002): 397-405.