by Jenny Pasanen, RD
The average success rate of all new years resolutions is 14-39%. Why do so many of us fail to live up to our best intentions? Some reasons may include setting vague or unrealistic goals, life events getting in the way, or friends, spouses and co-workers undermining our efforts. But if resolution failure is truly boiled down to its essence, there’s likely one factor they all had in common: people didn’t like them.
This year, rather than the broad, highly restrictive diet rules, or hours and hours at the gym every week, why not try to set resolutions that you will enjoy? If you’re setting a weight goal, don’t forget that the more weight you’d like to permanently lose, the more of your lifestyle you’ll need to permanently change. Trying to adopt changes you don’t honestly enjoy is a surefire way to guarantee that those changes won’t stick.
Analyse your resolutions and ask yourself, “Can I happily keep living with this change?” If you can’t, you probably won’t. This year, make a resolution resolution to actually like your resolutions.
Adapted from Dr, Yoni Freedhoff. For more resolution wisdom from one of Canada’s leading weight management specialists, check out Yoni’s 5 tips.