New Year's Resolutions = Failure

This may not sit well with many of you, but it’s something that you need to know, and so I’m just going to come out and say it.

More than likely, you are going to fail.

How dare I say such a thing?

Every year at about this time all you see, hear and read about are people making the big three New Year resolutions — more money, quit smoking and to lose weight.

Now, I don’t know the success rate of the first two, but as a fitness expert and someone who has helped hundreds of folks lose weight and get in better shape, I can tell you (and statistics prove) that most people who resolve to lose weight in the new year are doomed.

In fact, an article I just read on CNN.com said that most people who have a new year resolution to lose weight will fail.

In the same article, clinical psychologist Mark Crawford of Roswell, GA said that one reason people fail is because they sabotage themselves.

I believe this to be true.

I’ve seen it myself.  

You’ll start off in mid to late December telling yourself that you will commit to losing weight starting the new year. Over the weeks building up to the new year you formulate a plan of sorts… to eat less, make better choices, exercise more and pick up better habits.

And that’s the EXACT roadmap to failure!

And that’s why I’m writing this today — to warn you of this impending doom IF YOU’RE ABOUT TO MAKE THIS “NEW YEAR RESOLUTION” MISTAKE.

Here’s what I mean... and I’m going to be brutally honest with you, because I can’t see the “media” telling you this truth any time soon.

The reason most of your reading this will fail at losing weight in the new year is because…

1. Your goals are probably un-realistic and so you’re already setting yourself up for failure.
2. You’re unprepared. Sure you have a general idea that you want to lose weight. But you most likely do not have a game plan.
3. Your goals are unclear.
4. You lack support. Because the going WILL GET TOUGH and your support system is what will see you though to your goal.

Imagine going to another country you’ve never been in before. Now imagine if I handed you a GPS but didn’t give you an address (a goal). You’d probably fail at getting to your destination, wouldn’t you?

Now imagine if I said your destination was a house about 150 miles north. Well, you now have a general idea, but you’ll still never get to your destination and therefore fail.

Get the picture?

Now imagine if I handed you a GPS and gave you the address of the house you needed to end up at.

Once you type your goal destination into the GPS, it will give you VERY specific turn by turn directions and a very realistic timeline in which you’ll arrive.

Duh!

Makes sense, right?

Yet, nearly 96 percent of all people who set weight loss goals for the new year don’t know how much they want to lose.

And if they can pinpoint a number they want to lose — they still don’t have a “turn by turn” game plan to get there.

Now the reason I’m on this soap box and having this rant is because it pains me to see so many good people start with the greatest intentions every New Year only to see most of them drop out by the end of the third week. And it's because they lack clear-cut, yet realistic, goals and a clear-cut plan to get there.

Frankly, I hate the idea of a “New Year Resolution.” Why do we have to wait until the New Year to commit? Are we such gluttons over the holiday season that we just can't stand to be in our own skin by the time January 1st comes? The way I see it, you can do anything you want, anytime you want.

You don’t need to wait 'till the New Year. If you’re the type of person that I get to work with each and every day, I’m willing to bet that you can do anything you put your mind to and you can do it whenever you want.

Now, if the "when" you want it is now, then start now.

And if the "when" you want it is in the New Year, fine with me, start then. But do it because you made the decision to do it and not because the talking heads on TV and radio influenced you to do it.

And now that you know how NOT TO FAIL, you can create a better path to help you achieve whatever goal it is that you want to achieve.

I believe in you!

Talk soon,

James Cipriani

Brookfield's Personal Trainer

P.S. — I'm open to all comments and questions. I invite all to email me at jim@jamescipriani.com.