Setting reasonable goals is instrumental to maintaining resolve

A new year is here, and with it will come countless New Year’s resolutions.

These mostly reflect earnest hopes for self-betterment, but everyone knows how few of those resolutions stand the test of time. Think of the annual influx and drop-off of gym memberships.

Andrew Blakey, a certified personal training specialist and coach, offers some advice on how to maintain the resolve needed to attain personal health goals.

“Setting goals is one of the best things people can do in order to increase their chances of being successful when it comes to fitness,” Blakey says. “That being said, they can also be very demotivating if you don’t do them in the right way.”

Blakey holds a degree in kinesiology from the University of Guelph-Humber and is director of a fitness company called Your Future Fitness. He says there are a couple of key things people should focus on when creating health and fitness goals, and it starts with a “very clear statement” about what one is trying to achieve.

“The first thing someone should focus on is creating a goal that is specific,” Blakey says. “If you set a goal such as ‘I want to lose weight,’ that really doesn’t give you anything to track or anything to work toward. You want to set a goal that is very specific as well as measurable. A better way of setting this goal would be, ‘I want to lose 10 pounds.’”

Blakey says the second step is setting a timeline.

“A timeline allows you to keep yourself accountable and ensure that you’re doing the proper things to reach that goal,” he says. “If you’re halfway to your goal but haven’t made any real progress, it gives you a kick to figure out what’s going on and how you can alter your strategy.

“Too often, our goals are not reasonable. So, we fail to stay the course. What we need are meaningful, achievable goals that are actually attainable.”

Blakey says it is also important to make sure goals are realistic.

“This is one of the most common pitfalls I see and why so many people abandon their goals,” he says. “If you haven’t worked out in 20 years and you make it a goal to lose 20 pounds in 20 days, no matter how much you go to the gym, it simply won’t happen.”

In many cases, people simply bite off more than they can chew with their health and fitness goals. As Blakey says, too many overreach. What they should be doing is taking baby steps, because in addition to demotivating themselves, they may only be making short-term changes.

Priscilla Barnes is a registered nurse, nutrition coach and personal trainer who specializes in helping people take stress out of their wellness goals.

“Too many times when working toward a goal, we lean into extremes,” she says. “Why? Because we want immediate results. Extremes are great for that. However, results that come from extremes are usually short-lived.”

Barnes knows a lot of people who did the keto diet for six weeks but did not persevere. She says she knows a lot of them. Sustainability is key to long-term health goals, and that means making changes we can live with.

Barnes advises avoiding extremes and incorporating balance — and being consistent about it.

“For those clients wanting to achieve weight loss, I initiate what I call a ‘soft-calorie deficit’ — 1,200 calories is a joke,” Barnes says. “So many people think they have to eat extremely low calories to achieve weight loss, when, in reality, if they would implement a soft-calorie deficit — one that isn’t too far from their baseline — they’d see results over time and be able to maintain them.”

Julie Mancuso, owner of a nutrition counseling service called JM Nutrition, says mindset is also a major factor in the success or failure of goals. Making lifestyle changes means adjusting one’s mindset.

“Naturally, this isn’t easy and takes time,” she says. “Some people are capable of making the pivot immediately, whereas others take longer. And this is fine, as long as you remain on course.”

She says it all has to start with people believing the path they are on is taking them to a better place. Then comes the creation of a system to get them there. Those systems vary from person to person, Mancuso says.

“We are all made differently, with different dispositions, inclinations and biases,” she explains. “Whatever system you devise has to work for your own unique situation.”

Mancuso always encourages people to “start small” by making incremental, doable changes. Once they master those to the degree they become habitual, people can add more positive changes

“Eventually, these virtually unnoticeable changes will accumulate, putting a noticeable dent in your old habits, putting you on a smooth road to reaching your goal,” she says.

Tying it all together, according to Mancuso, is attitude — a positive one, specifically. It is crucial to dealing with setbacks along the way.

“It takes grit to do so,” Mancuso says. “If you don’t succeed, try again and then again. You have to see failure as part of the process. Recognize what works and what doesn’t. Tweak, change or try another method.”

She says people should find ways to stay the course to reach their health goals, including considering the help of professionals and remembering that making changes is work.