So you made a New Years resolution to yourself. Congratulations! You even wrote it down - Fabulous! Now to make it happen... Seems simple enough right? Wrong. And here is why... According to stats from the fitness industry association, most New Years resolutions fail. In fact 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February. That is pretty fast. The top 3 most common resolutions are -

• Lose weight
• Get fit
• Eat healthy food

Closely followed by

• Save money
• Earn more money
• Quit smoking
• More time with friends and family

So why do our weight loss/ get healthy resolutions fail so fast? What the heck is wrong with us? How can I actually make it a reality? HERE IS HOW...

Unrealistic Goals Too many resolutions are just not realistic. Therefore we have unrealistic expectations and then begin to get frustrated when we are not seeing immediate results. Frustrations usually kick in after 4 weeks, leading to disappointment. What you need to do is make sure you are realistic about the goal. e.g. - Unrealistic goal - I am quitting sugar entirely! ( Then you start to realise how hard it is and feel like a failure and therefore give up entirely) Realistic Goal - I am going to start to cut down on my sugar intake and gradually become sugar free. I will be completely sugar free by June 2019. ( see what I did there? Set an actual target.)

Be Passionate Enough You need to be passionate about the resolution. It is a goal, a vision, a dream to bring to life. Not just words. Make a vision board, write down how you intend to achieve the goal. Actually be excited about the choice to make this resolution a reality.

Plan, Plan, Plan! Write down how you will achieve the goal and when you want to achieve it by. I want to lose weight is so wishy washy. Write down - I want to lose 5kg by XYZ date ( and make it achievable. not like a week). Or I want to fit these jeans by XYZ. (I personally think measuring weight on scales is not a good indicator) Do not be vague about your goal, be specific. Then schedule in your calendar days to work out, write out shopping lists of the meals and groceries you will plan to try to stay on track. Schedule meal prep days or order fresh healthy meals delivered and make sure you set reminders so you can commit to those workouts and healthy meals. Eating healthy takes preparation otherwise you will be reaching for the coins, and grabbing a sneaky bag of chips from the vending machine because you forgot your lunch. ( We have all been there). Schedule the changes to happen gradually if you need to so that it is not an all at once dramatic change. Sometimes dramatic changes to our lifestyle can be overwhelming and then we feel stressed and give up.

No Budget? So many people fail to realise, we need to set a budget to make weight loss and a healthy living goal a reality. Gyms are not free, so if you want to go to one, check it fits in the budget. If it doesn't, all is not over. There are great ways to work out from home or in nature and there are amazing free online clips you can watch on Youtube or Instagram for workout ideas and motivation. You need to budget your meal prep whether it be groceries or meals delivered. Most people actually save money when they start to budget to be healthy, because they are buying less junk and processed meals. Winning! And of course if you need new running shoes, or gym clothes so you feel good when you work out, budget that too. ( I actually feel more motivated when I have nice fitting gym clothes and comfy shoes).

In summary, if you want to succeed in making those New Year resolutions a reality, get that pen and paper, write down the goal, set the vision and start actually planning. Revisit your plan once a week to check you are on track. Tell your friends or family so they can hold you accountable and hopefully motivate you more. Be positive and please don't beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon now and then. Its easy to jump back on straight away. We are human and there will be times where we end up eating something unhealthy or miss a workout that we scheduled. Just make sure it isn't a regular thing. Celebrate the wins and small achievements along the way ( maybe not with a doughnut though ). Good luck and remember... YOU JUST HAVE TO START!!!