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The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret
Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick
They call it Fail Friday.
Why? Well, if you’re anything like the typical person, you’ll have set yourself a New Year Resolution to lose weight
or improve your health. And guess what? If you haven’t already, within the next few days or even hours, you’ll
have failed.
That’s the remarkable finding from recent psychological studies. They suggest that most of us will have given up
on our plans by the time we reach 23 January.
A UK survey last year suggested a similar result, with people expected to keep to their pledges for no more than
three and a half weeks.
But there is some good news. With a few simple tweaks, you can make sure that your resolution really do
stay on track.
To that end, in this post you’ll discover advice from more than 50 top experts to help you in this challenge. You’ll
find:
10 uncomfortable truths about New Year Resolutions
20 essential steps to New Year Resolution success
20 expert ideas for the perfect resolution
10 New Year Resolutions for new runners (and experienced ones too)
20 great motivational quotes to keep your resolutions on track
5 inspiring videos to strengthen your resolve
5 inspiring success stories from weight loss runners just like you
5 best resources to keep your resolutions on track
After reading this post, you’ll know why our resolutions usually fail, how you should tweak your existing
New Year Resolution or come up with the perfect new resolution, and some really effective ways to make
sure that this year your resolution stays on track.
Along the way, we’ll discover one thing that every prisoner should know, the secret to a great night’s
sleep and a whole lot more!
At the end of the post, you can also grab a bonus resource pack that will make it even easier for you to
achieve your goals in 2015.
But beware – the aim with this post was to deliver an epic, ultimate collection of New Year Resolution
tips, tricks and resources. So below you’ll find well over 7,000 words of tips, tricks and expert wisdom. (If
you’re in a hurry, you can jump straight to the sections of most interest by clicking the links above.)
So, with all that said, follow the expert tips below, tweak your resolutions accordingly and ready yourself
for your most successful 2015 yet!
The Facts
10 uncomfortable truths about New Year Resolutions
First, though, let’s start with what we know about New Year Resolutions.
Resolutions aren’t a new phenomenon. At the beginning of each year, the ancient Babylonians would
make promises to their gods. The Romans would make promises to the god Janus. And, by the time we
reached the end of the Great Depression, about a quarter of American adults were making New Year’s
resolutions.
These days, resolutions are common place. But there’s a problem – the evidence suggests that hardly
any of us are keeping to them.
Evidence from the University of Scranton
For all the journalistic talk of ‘Fail Friday’, it’s easy to forget that there have actually been a couple of very
detailed studies of New Year Resolutions in practice.
A key example is a 2014 University of Scranton study, which revealed these nuggets of information:
45% of Americans usually make New Year Resolutions
The most popular resolution is to lose weight
38% of resolutions are related to weight
The fifth most popular resolution is to stay fit and healthy
People who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to achieve their goals than those who don’t
But only 8% of people are actually successful in achieving their resolution
Three-quarters of resolutions (exactly 75%) are maintained in the first week; fewer than half (46%)
make it through to six months
The Wiseman study
Perhaps the other key study of New Year resolutions in practice was a 2007 University of Bristol study by
Richard Wiseman. The study of 3,000 participants showed comparable headline results, with 88% of
those setting New Year resolutions failing.
The Wiseman study also provided some other revealing statistics:
In contrast to the high failure rate, more than half of the people in the study (52% to be precise)
were confident of success at the outset
The success rate for men was more than a fifth higher (22%) when they engaged in ‘goal setting’
The success rate for women was a tenth higher (exactly 10%) when they made their goals public
and were supported by friends
Other studies and an alternative approach
There have also been a range of other studies examining our resolution achievements and failures.
One example is a recent survey on 2015 New Year Resolutions conducted by Finder.com.au, an
Australian price comparison site. Its results are broadly comparable to the studies mentioned above. In
particular, weight loss and other health-related goals dominated the New Year Resolution list, as
illustrated by the chart below.
Figure 1: The most popular types of New Year Resolutions in 2015
Source: Finder.com.au 2015 survey.
But very different approaches have also been taken when it comes to teasing out our love-hate
relationship with resolutions.
For example, further insights have been provided by a great piece of analysis by Portland-based data
scientist Seth Kadish. The man behind the intriguing Vizual Statistix blog, Seth came up with the smart
idea of examining how often we search on the web for the key health-related resolutions over the course
of the year.
The results are revealing. Admittedly, it’s no surprise that our interest and resolve fades as the year
progresses and that this is reflected in our Google searches. But the scale of the drop-off is striking – as
shown in the chart below – and aligns with the key findings of the other major New Year Resolution
studies.
Source: Seth Kadish, Vizual Statistix, and Google Trends.
Note: The chart shows how the popularity of each health-related web search changes over the course of
the year. To illustrate the broadly similar pattern across searches, the starting level at the beginning of
each year is indexed to the same level for each of the searches. The data are based on US Google
searches over the period 2004 to 2014.
The statistical bottom line
The key result from such studies is clear. Most of us set resolutions. But most of us come up short. And
while the major studies don’t necessarily tally with the precise timing suggested by all the Fail Friday
talk, they do suggest that most of us fail quite dramatically in our resolution efforts.
So what can we do to ensure greater success in our New Year Resolutions? The answer is to make a few
tweaks now to ensure that we’re gearing ourselves up for success in the first place. And that’s what we
turn to next.
What do you think? Any questions or feedback? Agree or disagree with my conclusion? Let me know by
dropping a comment below.
© 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
weightlossrunners.com http://weightlossrunners.com/new-year-resolutions/2/
The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret
Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick
20 essential steps to New Year Resolution success
In practice, the evidence suggests that a few essential steps you need to take to have success with New Year
Resolutions.
None of these steps are complicated. It’s all pretty easy to do. But miss out one of the steps and you really are
making the resolution challenge much more difficult than it need be.
#1 Make a resolution
Given our terrible record in keeping to resolutions, you might think that the best solution is to just give up on this
crazy old tradition.
That would be a huge mistake.
Research suggests that, for all our failings, New Year Resolutions really are significant. Based on the available
evidence, it seems that if you have a goal you’re looking to achieve, then the act of making a resolution could
make all the difference.
Studies show that people who resolve to change behaviours do much better than non-resolvers
who have the same habits that need to be changed.
~ John Norcross (Wikipedia|Amazon)
University of Scranton psychologist, via WebMD
#2 Make it a late-New Year Resolution
Think about it. You couldn’t choose a worse time to make a resolution. For most of us, the weather’s terrible and
money’s tight. But there is an alternative approach.
Think of January as a pre-game month. Ease yourself in, and make sure you’re ready to start a
new regime in February.
~ Daisy Buchanan
Columnist and features writer covering arts, entertainment and women’s issues, via The Guardian
#3 Make it time-limited
A year is a long time. So rather than fixate on the challenge of keeping your resolution up
till December 2015, focus on baby steps.
Two months is a much more realistic target as people can see the end is in sight.
What’s more, from a sustainability perspective it’s long enough to develop a habit
and start to feel that you’re actually making a difference.
~ Oliver Balch
Freelance writer specialising in the role of business in society, via The Guardian
#4 Be realistic
According to a study commissioned by Australian comparison website finder.com.au,
mentioned above, the most common reason for participants failing to keep their
resolutions is setting themselves unrealistic goals (35%).
[One of] the most common New Year’s resolutions is weight loss or fat or body
weight composition changes…The weight loss goal should be realistic. Too
often people have unrealistic expectations for how much weight it is that they
want to lose.
~ Pat Davidson, PhD
former exercise science professor, director of training methodology at Peak Performance in New York City, via
The Huffington Post
#5 Don’t try to be a saint
You don’t have to say goodbye to guilty pleasures. Allowing yourself to enjoy your cravings now and again will
make it far easier to stick on the path to a healthier lifestyle.
Instead of having red meat every week, say, “I’ll have red meat once a month”.
~ Keri Peterson, MD
Internal medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, via Reader Digest
#6 Be in control
It’s all well and good making a resolution – but do you actually control whether or not
you achieve that goal? If the answer’s no, then you’re heading for failure.
For example, Peak Performance expert Pat Davidson argues that, from a physiology
standpoint, there are a multitude of factors that determine how much weight you might
lose. And if you get hung up on, say, reducing calories by a very specific amount, you
may well be heading for disappointment.
I encourage people to create goals that they can definitely accomplish, like: ‘Today I will go to the
gym and I’ll try hard to do exercises appropriately and with effort’ or ‘The next meal I eat will be
made up from healthy food choices and the portions will be appropriate.’ [Those are steps] toward
reaching a goal of losing 5 pounds in 30 days. We have to be very clear about factors that we can
control and factors that we can’t control.
~ Pat Davidson, PhD
Former exercise science professor, director of training methodology at Peak Performance in New York City, via
The Huffington Post
#7 Be prepared
Make any weight loss goal part of your lifestyle – something you do as a matter of course, rather than an
afterthought. And the easiest way to make that work is good, old-fashioned preparation.
Planning your nutrition,whether that’s lunches at work, food shopping in advance or having your
dinner ready to go in a slow cooker will help you avoid last minute panic buys when you’re hungry
and are more likely to make poor choices.
~ Emma Barraclough
Senior Sports Nutritionist at SiS, via The Independent
#8 Do less. Do it better.
The same 2014 study also highlighted the importance of keeping resolutions
manageable. Around one in ten respondents attributed their failure to keep their New
Year Resolutions down to them making too many resolutions in the first place.
Essentially it’s just a to-do list. When you start the day with 20 or 30 things on
your to-do list, you’re never going to get to the end of them – and you’ll end the
day feeling as though you failed, rather than taking pride and pleasure in what
you have manged to achieve. Aim to do less and do it better – I’d advise a maximum of three
resolutions, five if you absolutely must.
~ Amy Canning
Careers coach, via The Guardian
#9 Make it specific
For many of us, our key objective is clear. We’d like to shed a bit of weight and get in shape. But, to maximise
your chance of success, your resolution shouldn’t focus on the end-goal itself. Instead, it should be all about the
steps you need to take to achieve that end-goal.
That was a clear finding from Richard Wiseman’s University of Bristol study, discussed earlier in this post. It found
that men achieved their goal 22% more often when they set small measurable goals.
Lose 10 pounds sounds specific but it’s less likely to work than behavioural goals like: “This week
I’ll start to go to the gym three times, take the stairs at least twice, and bring a healthy lunch every
day.
~ Andrea Bonior
Phsychologist, via The Guardian
Avoiding decision fatigue
Several of the steps outlined here are, in part, effective because they help tackle one
of our key weaknesses. Decision fatigue.
A nice explanation of this idea is provided by S J Scott and Rebecca Livermore in the
excellent ‘Level up your day: How to maximise the 6 essential areas of your daily
routine’ – the current number 1 Amazon seller on time management in the business
category.
The authors cite research by Shai Danziger, Jonathan Levav and Liora Avnaim-Pesso, who analyzed the factors
that affected the likelihood of Israeli prisoners being released on parole. They found that the key influence on the
judges’ decisions wasn’t something like the crime committed or sentence length.
Instead, the biggest influence on judges’ decisions was when the prisoner stood in front of the judge. If a prisoner
appeared in front of the judge later in the day, they were less likely to be released on parole.
“As the day wore on, each judge lost the ability to make good decisions. As a result, he went with the path of least
resistance – denying parole to those who appeared before him.”
The researchers concluded that “judicial rulings can be swayed by extraneous variables that should have no
bearing on legal decisions”.
If that’s the case for monumental decisions such as those made by parole judges, you can imagine how
significant a problem it can be when it comes to the everyday choices we face. (Like whether or not to go for that
run – or curl up on the sofa with unhealthy snack.)
Fortunately, obstacles such as decision fatigue can be avoided.
For example, make sure you’re aiming for goals that are specific, achievable and under your control. And be
sufficiently prepared that, as the day wears on, you don’t have to make tough decisions that could challenge your
resolve.
In other words, following the expert recommendations in this post can make all the difference.
#10 Make it SMART
SMART goals might be more associated with goal setting at work and in the business world. But SMART goals
can be used to hit any type of target. And they can be very successful when it comes to matters of health.
A few practical examples are suggested by BeWell@Stanford at Stanford University:
Specific – I will increase my running mileage by 10% each week.
Measureable – I will keep track of my running distance each day so I can track my progress
towards my goal.
Attainable – Is the goal attainable for me? Yes, given my current schedule and my desire to
accomplish this goal, I feel that this is attainable.
Realistic – Is the goal realistic for me? Yes, I have everything I need to make this goal a reality. I
have the support and resources in place.
Timely – I will sign up to run a half marathon in three months and a full marathon in six months.
~ Dr. Daemon Jones
Weight loss expert, via Empowher
#11 Test to ensure your best
Tips 11 and 12 are closely related. They’re all about the importance of knowing where
you are as an essential step on the way to getting where you want to.
It’s common for many to not want initial data on weight or body fat when they
start training, I guess we’d rather not know the bad news and prefer to wait for
a better weight. As a Personal Trainer (PT) this is infuriating as we like to have
as much data as possible to begin with and this data also acts as a ceiling
with which to work with. Get a proper bodyfat score (7 site calliper test or a bioelectrical impedance
test with pads on both hands AND feet) – all good PT’s will be able to offer one or the other for a
small fee (and the chance to upsell some training). Take circumferential measurements, peak flow
and, if available, even a spirometer reading. Once you have this data, a number of specific goals
can be set over the coming months that pertain to each measurement which will give you a
constant and varied focus.
~ Matthew Powell
Body Aware Specialist expert writer via Health and Fitness Travel
#12 Track to stay on track
Further evidence (courtesty of the Finder.com.au survey mentioned earlier) suggests another important reason
why people fail to make their resolutions stick. According to a third of people in a 2014 survey, it was failure to
keep track of progress that was key.
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
~ Peter Drucker (allegedly)
Writer, professor, management consultant
#13 Reward yourself
It is so important to reward ourselves on the way to achieving our goals as
well as once we achieve them. This will help us stick to the resolution without
having to wait until we achieve our ultimate goal. You hold the keys to your
success so it’s important to allow yourself to tap into your potential and to
recognise when we have done so.
~ Penny Davenport
Career mentor and coach via The Independent
#14 Remind yourself
Evidence from the Finder.com.au survey suggests that one of the most common
reasons for New Years’ Resolutions falling by the wayside – acccounting for almost a
quarter of all resolution failures – is simply forgetting about it.
Keep a visual reminder of your resolution handy, whether it be a picture of
your football idol on your phone or an inspirational message in your wallet.
The only thing that stops you from sticking to your resolutions is yourself.
~ Dr Georges Petitjean
Founder of Arthur Coaching, whose mission is to promote the coaching of young people, via The Independent
#15 Go public
The finder.com.au survey mentioned above found that, of those who did achieve their
resolutions, more than three-quarters believed that sharing their goals, played a role
in their success.
Working out with a friend allows for a little friendly competition and increased
accountability. Choose goals together and get to work! It’s always a little
easier when you know someone is rooting for up and waiting for you at the
gym.
~ Rebecca Mahoney
Certified personal trainer, via The Huffington Post
#16 Pick something positive
Avoid your New Year Resolutions turning into a list of things that you can’t do. Your
resolutions are much more likely to stick if you resolve to do something positive, like
eating a healthy vegetable-based meal once a week.
Willpower is a muscle and you have to strengthen it slowly in order to nurture
it. You’ll damage its effectiveness through overuse.
~ Denise Cummins (Amazon)
Behavioural expert, via The Guardian
#17 Enjoy yourself
On a related note, you’ll make the resolutions game far easier – and a whole lot less
stressful – if you can make it a commitment to do something that’s actually fun.
Many people can get easily discouraged and give up when there’s too much
emphasis on weight loss. Focus on the joys of exercise and movement
instead. Take pride in your body getting stronger. Think about the boost in
energy you get after a workout. Do set goals, but make them about making
fitness fun: Commit to joining a class three days a week or to signing up for a race. Just find
something you consider fun!
~ Chris Freytag
Fitness expert, author of Get Started with Weight Loss, via The Huffington Post
#18 Get social
Make your resolution not about you. Oliver Balch highlights the success of the
London-based GoodGym, a group of runners that combines regular exercise with
helping our communities. In short, its aims to help you get fit by doing good. As Oliver
describes it, GoodGym allows Londoners to ditch the self-absorption of the treadmill
for shared runs that also involve helping out on a community project.
Spending time with friends is one of life’s universal joys, so why not give a
social edge to your pledge?
~ Oliver Balch
Freelance writer specialising in the role of business in society, via The Guardian
#19 Sleep more
The most effective trick for making your New Year Resolutions stick might be the
simplest. According to Richard Wiseman, who has conducted extensive research on
this issue, the answer may be a simple as getting a good night’s sleep.
Last month I asked more than 1,000 people to rate both the quality of their
sleep and how successful they were at achieving their resolutions. The results
revealed a strong relationship, with 60% of people who slept well saying they
were able to achieve their resolutions, compared to just 44% of those who slept poorly.
~ Richard Wiseman (Wikipedia | Twitter | Amazon)
Psychologist and author, via The Guardian
How to sleep more
It’s easy to say. But how do you actually go about sleeping more? In a recent excellent
article in The Guardian, Richard Wiseman suggests five scientifically proven ways to
improve the quality of your sleep.
Tire your mind. If you’re lying in bed, unable to sleep, challenge yourself mentally.
One example – try to think of countries beginning with each letter of the alphabet.
Get out of bed if you find yourself lying awake for more than 20 minutes. Then
spend 15 minutes reading a book or doing a jigsaw.
Behave as if you’re sleep and you may well fool your body into thinking it’s time for sleep.
Time your night’s sleep so you avoid waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle. These cycles last for around
90 minutes, so aim to sleep for a multiple of 90 minutes. If you know you need to be up at 7am, then aim to
fall asleep at around 10pm or 11.30pm.
In the hour before you go to bed, avoid electronic devices that emit light towards the blue end of the
spectrum. Such devices – like computer screens, tablets and your smartphone – disrupt the production of
the sleep hormone melatonin.
#20 Walk through the door
Okay, maybe there’s time for just one more resolution hack.
If the above tips don’t do it for you, then here’s some contrarian advice. It goes completely against some of what I
suggested above…but maybe there’s some method in the madness.
Let me know what you think.
What do you think? Any questions or feedback? Agree or disagree with my conclusion? Let me know by dropping
a comment below.
© 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
weightlossrunners.com http://weightlossrunners.com/new-year-resolutions/3/
The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret
Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick
20 expert ideas for the perfect New Year Resolution
Ultimately, the only person who can decide the right resolution for you is…wait for it…no surprise here…it’s you.
But, for an extra helping hand, Readers Digest, Fitbie and Boston Magazine recently put out some great posts
checking out a few of the resolutions that experts themselves are shooting for this year.
Here are the highlights:
Food
We’re big fans of goals that start with ‘eat more’
~ Lauren Slayton
Director of FoodTrainers, a New York City-based nutrition counseling service
Give up refined sugars
~ Erin Scott
Food blogger and author of Yummy Supper
Make one new recipe per month
~ Rania Batayneh
Author of The One One One Diet
To continue counting quality, not calories
~ Dave Asprey
Founder of The Bulletproof Executive and author of The Bulletproof Diet
Drink
Drink more water!
~ Dawna Stone
Apprentice winner and author of The Healthy You Diet
Exercise
I want to get out of my exercise comfort zone!
~ Mark Moyad
Author of The Supplement Handbook
Keep helping others recognize the benefits of exercise
~ Jordan Metzl, MD
Author of The Exercise Cure
To do more swimming and bike riding, and to make more healthy homemade
salads and vegetable soups
~ Derek Fell
Garden writer and photographer
Becoming a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
~ Danielle Kosecki
Health editor for Glamour magazine
Try to invite friends to join me in more of my workouts…Social sweats kill two
birds with one stone
~ Cate Brinch
Owner of Recycle Studio
Sleep
Sleep at least 7 hours a night
~ Harley Pasternak
Celebrity trainer and author of 5 Pounds
Cut down on watching TV or using my computer two hours before bedtime
~ Josna Adusumilli
Neurologist and sleep specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital
Lifestyle
I make daily goals of improving, never losing sight of the big goals at hand.
~ Dolvett Quince
Trainer on NBC’s The Biggest Loser
Align my thoughts and actions with my hope for a kinder world where humans
appreciate and respect other animals and nature.
~ Gene Bauer
Vegan activist and author of Living the Farm Sanctuary Life
Take risks, stand out, be bold, stand for something, and MAKE NOISE in 2015
to look and feel your best!
~ Kirsten Potenza and Cristina Peerenboom
Founders of POUND
Carve out 10 minutes every morning to take a little time out
~ Hanneke Antonelli
Pilates instructor and life coach
In order to increase life balance, I’ve decided to increase my yoga sessions
from two to three times per week, and add an additional 15 minutes of daily
meditation.
~ Mike Speights
Owner of healthy meal delivery service The Foodery
Setting out daily choices
~ Vyda Bielkus
One of the four sisters behind Beacon Hill yoga studio Health Yoga Life
Be on my phone less and be active in creating ‘day-making’ interactions in
places like the gym, coffee shop, or on the street
~ Dan Fitzgerald
South End Athletic Company co-owner
Carve out time every single day to meditate so I can fully experience all of the positive health
benefits it has to offer
~ Lauren Marett-Sherman
Owner of Pure Barre Boston and co-owner of Pure Barre Brookline
New Year Resolutions for new (and experienced) runners
What about those who’ve just started running? Or those who’ve been running for a
while but need a new challenge? Runners World magazine recently polled their
Facebook followers and found the following list of top running-related resolutions.
Run for 30 minutes straight
Run my first marathon
Increasy my weekly mileage
Learn to love running
Finish a half-marathon
Stay injury-free
Eat a healthier diet
Return to running
Train consistently
Qualify for the Boston Marathon
What do you think? Any questions or feedback? Agree or disagree with my
conclusion? Let me know by dropping a comment below.
© 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
The fail friday fight back 50 experts reveal the secret behind new year resolutions that stick
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The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret
Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick
20 Best Motivational Quotes for the perfect 2015
Hopefully the snippets above have given you some inspiration. But, once you’re up and running, how can you stay
inspired and motivated when the initial enthusiasm starts to fade?
Here’s a list of 20 ‘go-to’ quotes to help keep your resolutions on track.
Believe you can and you’re halfway there
~ Theodore Roosevelt
Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right
~ Henry Ford
Look within…the secret is inside you
~ Hui-neng
It’s in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped
~ Anthony Robbins
You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
~ Jack London
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other
~ Abraham Lincoln
Put all excuses aside and remember this: YOU are capable
~ Zig Ziglar
Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for
illness
~ Edward Stanley
Nothing will work unless you do
~ Maya Angelou
Living a healthy lifestyle will only deprive you of poor health, lethargy and fat
~ Jill Johnson
Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork
~ English proverb
All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy shall form an
invincible host against difficulties.
~ Helen Keller
To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often
~ Winston Churchill
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think
~ Christopher Robin
Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside
and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
~ Lance Armstrong
When we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us every opportunity of carrying them out
~ St John Chrysostom
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward!
~ Robert C Gallagher
The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure
~ Sven Goran Eriksson
For more weight loss and running motivation, check out this post on our sister site RunningInjury:
25 Best Motivational Running Quotes of All Time
© 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
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The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret
Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick
5 Inspiring Videos To Strengthen Your Resolve
#5 Rocky runs up the stairs
This really isn’t about boxing. It’s pure motivation.
Trying hard now…Getting strong now. Won’t be long now. Getting strong now…Gonna fly now.
Flying high now. Gonna fly, fly, fly…
#4 Believe in the run
This was created to promote a certain sports brand. But forget that. It’s another great motivational video to get
you out the front door.
I belive that it starts one step at a time and then I have no idea where my dreams will take me
#3 Spirit of the marathon
It’s the ultimate goal for many of us who take up running for fitness, for weight, for a healthier more enjoyable
life. And for good reason. The marathon means so much more than going for a run.
When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow, no matter how fast, it will change your life
forever.
#2 Just try to watch this without crying
You might think this an odd choice.
One of my favourite motivational videos of all time is about someone already at the top of their game. Here’s an
athlete in the form and fitness of their life. And he’s competing on the greatest stage, at the Olympic Games.
But this video is as much about you and me – and our inner strength – as it is about one athlete.
“You don’t have to do this,” he told his son. “Yes, I do,” he replied…When you don’t give up, you
cannot fail.
#1 The most inspiring video you will ever watch
A truly inspiring video about a man who could run no more than 10 yards – and decided to do something
about that. More than that, though, it’s about deciding to change your life for the better.
Running for my existence
More inspiring stories follow on the next, and final, page. For more weight loss and running motivation, you can
also check out the full list of inspiring videos in this post on our sister site RunningInjury:
40 Top Videos for Instant Running Motivation
What do you think? Any questions or feedback? Agree or disagree with my conclusion? Let me know by dropping
a comment below.
© 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
weightlossrunners.com http://weightlossrunners.com/new-year-resolutions/6/
The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret
Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick
5 Weight Loss Running success stories
#1 Success story
Our first success story (via Runner’s World) is Stephanie Beall, aged 34, from Seattle.
Stephanie found success through a varied approach to exercise, with running supplemented by cross-training
(“swimming, combat or kickboxing class, weights, or a Jillian Michaels DVD”)
Start of weight loss journey: 2013
Original weight: 286 pounds
Weight loss goal: Lose 110 pounds
Current weight: 196 pounds
Stephanie’s experience: “I was sick and tired of being overweight and having no energy…I used New
Year as a jump start to my journey…Another major reason, I lost my cousin to cancer in 2013… He always
fought and lived his life to the fullest, it was time for me to take his example.”
Motivational quote: “Your legs aren’t giving out, your head is giving up.”
Start out small and build. You’ll be amazed what your body can do.
~ Stephanie Beall
#2 Success story
Next up is Chris Wookey, age 40 (via Prevention.com). She found success through running, first using an indoor
treadmill, but before long she had taken to running in the great outdoors.
Start of weight loss journey: 2011
Weight loss goal: Lose 50 pounds
Motivation: “When I turned 40, it was like I woke up and clearly saw my life for the first time. I had a
wonderful husband, two amazing sons…but I wasn’t happy. Something had to change, and I knew it had to
start with my weight.”
At first, my goal was to run a quarter mile without stopping. Then it was half a mile, then a mile…It
was always hard work, but once I got through that first mile, it was like my body turned on autopilot
and I could just – go.
~ Chris Wookey
#3 Success story
Our third sucess story is Jessica Marr, age 27 (via Redbookmag). She found success through a combination of
counting calories and running (both treadmill running and outdoors)
Start of weight loss journey: 2012
Original weight: 268 pounds
New weight: 128 pounds
Final thought: “I just completed the New York City Half marathon, and even now, the first mile is still the
hardest. But it gets easier after that, so don’t give up!”
Once I busted through the denial about my weight by stepping on a bathroom scale, I started
counting calories and watching my portions. Then I…got on the treadmill: I’d walk for two minutes,
until eventually I could jog for 10 minutes straight without slowing down.
~ Jessica Marr
#4 Success story
The story (via Fitness Magazine) behind the success of Amy Banfield, age 22, is a familiar one. She successfully
combined sensible diet (eg measuring portions and making fast food a rare treat) with exercise (initially regular
workouts on the elliptical trainer and then taking up running, as well as swimming and cycling).
Start of weight loss journey: 2008
Original weight: 199 pounds
Current weight: 130 pounds
Motivation: She decided it was time to act after experiencing a moment of humiliation, when she was
turned away from a fraternity party with the words “No fat girls allowed”.
Advice: “I write out a week’s worth of workouts in my planner so I don’t have to think about it—or back out
—during the day.”
To get into running, I walked one song and ran the next to keep going longer.
~ Amy Banfield
#5 Success story
Lisa and Graham Wharton – before and after their weight loss journey.
The final success story is an award-winning one (via The Mirror and
Slimming World USA)
Lisa Wharton, age 42, and husband Graeme Wharton, age 43, achieved
major weight loss through dietary changes, after joining Slimming
World. “We swapped pre-made meals and convenience foods for
healthy home-cooked meals…Our whole family have changed their
diet.”
Start of latest weight loss journey: 2012
Original weight: 216 pounds (Lisa) and 276 pounds (Graeme)
Current weight: 148 pounds (Lisa) and 179 pounds (Graeme)
Motivation (Graeme): “The turning point for me came on
Christmas Day 2012. We got dressed up for dinner, but I felt so
uncomfortable in my smart trousers and shirt because they were
tight and I felt like I was spilling out over my trousers. I ended up
going home to put my sweatpants on and that’s when I knew I
needed to do something. Lisa had always raved about Slimming
World and I thought it might help me too, so I suggested we do it
together.”
Lisa and Graeme’s experience: “You get so much
encouragement. I used to joke that before Slimming World I
couldn’t run a bath, now Lisa and I have done the Great North Run
[popular UK half-marathon] and we’re part of the official Slimming
World team running the London Marathon!”
Going through this journey together means so much and we couldn’t be more proud of
each other.
~ Lisa Wharton
Final Thoughts
Wrapping up
The bottom line? Well, there’s some good news and bad news.
The bad news, to put it bluntly, is that we’re usually pathetic at sticking to resolutions.
The good news is that it’s not actually that difficult to come up with a New Year Resolution that stands a
good chance of succeeding. Just follow the ground rules outlined in this post, tweak your existing
resolution or start from scratch and commit yourself to a new one, and you’ll be on the right track.
The even better news is that, these days, there are some brilliant tools for you to take advantage of.
These are apps that are specifically designed to help you achieve your New Year Resolution goals.
They’re easy to access whenever you’re out and about. And they really do work.
So to really kickstart your resolutions, I’ve put together a special bonus resource pack. It’s designed so
that you can access the information and motivation you need at any time.
In the pack you’ll find:
A pdf version of this article, so you can print out and keep the essential tips and motivational
tricks.
A 2015 New Years’ Resolution interactive tool to help you choose a goal, share it with friends and
keep track of your progress.
A free report with five great resources to make sure your resolutions really do stick.
It’s completely FREE – just click here to download the resources now.
Fail Friday? The fightback is on.
© 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
The fail friday fight back 50 experts reveal the secret behind new year resolutions that stick

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The fail friday fight back 50 experts reveal the secret behind new year resolutions that stick

  • 1. weightlossrunners.com http://weightlossrunners.com/new-year-resolutions/1/ The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick They call it Fail Friday. Why? Well, if you’re anything like the typical person, you’ll have set yourself a New Year Resolution to lose weight or improve your health. And guess what? If you haven’t already, within the next few days or even hours, you’ll have failed. That’s the remarkable finding from recent psychological studies. They suggest that most of us will have given up on our plans by the time we reach 23 January. A UK survey last year suggested a similar result, with people expected to keep to their pledges for no more than three and a half weeks. But there is some good news. With a few simple tweaks, you can make sure that your resolution really do stay on track. To that end, in this post you’ll discover advice from more than 50 top experts to help you in this challenge. You’ll find: 10 uncomfortable truths about New Year Resolutions 20 essential steps to New Year Resolution success 20 expert ideas for the perfect resolution 10 New Year Resolutions for new runners (and experienced ones too) 20 great motivational quotes to keep your resolutions on track 5 inspiring videos to strengthen your resolve 5 inspiring success stories from weight loss runners just like you 5 best resources to keep your resolutions on track After reading this post, you’ll know why our resolutions usually fail, how you should tweak your existing New Year Resolution or come up with the perfect new resolution, and some really effective ways to make sure that this year your resolution stays on track. Along the way, we’ll discover one thing that every prisoner should know, the secret to a great night’s sleep and a whole lot more! At the end of the post, you can also grab a bonus resource pack that will make it even easier for you to achieve your goals in 2015. But beware – the aim with this post was to deliver an epic, ultimate collection of New Year Resolution tips, tricks and resources. So below you’ll find well over 7,000 words of tips, tricks and expert wisdom. (If you’re in a hurry, you can jump straight to the sections of most interest by clicking the links above.) So, with all that said, follow the expert tips below, tweak your resolutions accordingly and ready yourself for your most successful 2015 yet! The Facts 10 uncomfortable truths about New Year Resolutions
  • 2. First, though, let’s start with what we know about New Year Resolutions. Resolutions aren’t a new phenomenon. At the beginning of each year, the ancient Babylonians would make promises to their gods. The Romans would make promises to the god Janus. And, by the time we reached the end of the Great Depression, about a quarter of American adults were making New Year’s resolutions. These days, resolutions are common place. But there’s a problem – the evidence suggests that hardly any of us are keeping to them. Evidence from the University of Scranton For all the journalistic talk of ‘Fail Friday’, it’s easy to forget that there have actually been a couple of very detailed studies of New Year Resolutions in practice. A key example is a 2014 University of Scranton study, which revealed these nuggets of information: 45% of Americans usually make New Year Resolutions The most popular resolution is to lose weight 38% of resolutions are related to weight The fifth most popular resolution is to stay fit and healthy People who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to achieve their goals than those who don’t But only 8% of people are actually successful in achieving their resolution Three-quarters of resolutions (exactly 75%) are maintained in the first week; fewer than half (46%) make it through to six months The Wiseman study Perhaps the other key study of New Year resolutions in practice was a 2007 University of Bristol study by Richard Wiseman. The study of 3,000 participants showed comparable headline results, with 88% of those setting New Year resolutions failing. The Wiseman study also provided some other revealing statistics: In contrast to the high failure rate, more than half of the people in the study (52% to be precise) were confident of success at the outset The success rate for men was more than a fifth higher (22%) when they engaged in ‘goal setting’ The success rate for women was a tenth higher (exactly 10%) when they made their goals public and were supported by friends Other studies and an alternative approach There have also been a range of other studies examining our resolution achievements and failures. One example is a recent survey on 2015 New Year Resolutions conducted by Finder.com.au, an Australian price comparison site. Its results are broadly comparable to the studies mentioned above. In particular, weight loss and other health-related goals dominated the New Year Resolution list, as illustrated by the chart below. Figure 1: The most popular types of New Year Resolutions in 2015
  • 3. Source: Finder.com.au 2015 survey. But very different approaches have also been taken when it comes to teasing out our love-hate relationship with resolutions. For example, further insights have been provided by a great piece of analysis by Portland-based data scientist Seth Kadish. The man behind the intriguing Vizual Statistix blog, Seth came up with the smart idea of examining how often we search on the web for the key health-related resolutions over the course of the year. The results are revealing. Admittedly, it’s no surprise that our interest and resolve fades as the year progresses and that this is reflected in our Google searches. But the scale of the drop-off is striking – as shown in the chart below – and aligns with the key findings of the other major New Year Resolution studies. Source: Seth Kadish, Vizual Statistix, and Google Trends. Note: The chart shows how the popularity of each health-related web search changes over the course of the year. To illustrate the broadly similar pattern across searches, the starting level at the beginning of each year is indexed to the same level for each of the searches. The data are based on US Google searches over the period 2004 to 2014.
  • 4. The statistical bottom line The key result from such studies is clear. Most of us set resolutions. But most of us come up short. And while the major studies don’t necessarily tally with the precise timing suggested by all the Fail Friday talk, they do suggest that most of us fail quite dramatically in our resolution efforts. So what can we do to ensure greater success in our New Year Resolutions? The answer is to make a few tweaks now to ensure that we’re gearing ourselves up for success in the first place. And that’s what we turn to next. What do you think? Any questions or feedback? Agree or disagree with my conclusion? Let me know by dropping a comment below. © 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
  • 5. weightlossrunners.com http://weightlossrunners.com/new-year-resolutions/2/ The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick 20 essential steps to New Year Resolution success In practice, the evidence suggests that a few essential steps you need to take to have success with New Year Resolutions. None of these steps are complicated. It’s all pretty easy to do. But miss out one of the steps and you really are making the resolution challenge much more difficult than it need be. #1 Make a resolution Given our terrible record in keeping to resolutions, you might think that the best solution is to just give up on this crazy old tradition. That would be a huge mistake. Research suggests that, for all our failings, New Year Resolutions really are significant. Based on the available evidence, it seems that if you have a goal you’re looking to achieve, then the act of making a resolution could make all the difference. Studies show that people who resolve to change behaviours do much better than non-resolvers who have the same habits that need to be changed. ~ John Norcross (Wikipedia|Amazon) University of Scranton psychologist, via WebMD #2 Make it a late-New Year Resolution Think about it. You couldn’t choose a worse time to make a resolution. For most of us, the weather’s terrible and money’s tight. But there is an alternative approach. Think of January as a pre-game month. Ease yourself in, and make sure you’re ready to start a new regime in February. ~ Daisy Buchanan Columnist and features writer covering arts, entertainment and women’s issues, via The Guardian #3 Make it time-limited A year is a long time. So rather than fixate on the challenge of keeping your resolution up till December 2015, focus on baby steps. Two months is a much more realistic target as people can see the end is in sight. What’s more, from a sustainability perspective it’s long enough to develop a habit and start to feel that you’re actually making a difference.
  • 6. ~ Oliver Balch Freelance writer specialising in the role of business in society, via The Guardian #4 Be realistic According to a study commissioned by Australian comparison website finder.com.au, mentioned above, the most common reason for participants failing to keep their resolutions is setting themselves unrealistic goals (35%). [One of] the most common New Year’s resolutions is weight loss or fat or body weight composition changes…The weight loss goal should be realistic. Too often people have unrealistic expectations for how much weight it is that they want to lose. ~ Pat Davidson, PhD former exercise science professor, director of training methodology at Peak Performance in New York City, via The Huffington Post #5 Don’t try to be a saint You don’t have to say goodbye to guilty pleasures. Allowing yourself to enjoy your cravings now and again will make it far easier to stick on the path to a healthier lifestyle. Instead of having red meat every week, say, “I’ll have red meat once a month”. ~ Keri Peterson, MD Internal medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, via Reader Digest #6 Be in control It’s all well and good making a resolution – but do you actually control whether or not you achieve that goal? If the answer’s no, then you’re heading for failure. For example, Peak Performance expert Pat Davidson argues that, from a physiology standpoint, there are a multitude of factors that determine how much weight you might lose. And if you get hung up on, say, reducing calories by a very specific amount, you may well be heading for disappointment. I encourage people to create goals that they can definitely accomplish, like: ‘Today I will go to the gym and I’ll try hard to do exercises appropriately and with effort’ or ‘The next meal I eat will be made up from healthy food choices and the portions will be appropriate.’ [Those are steps] toward reaching a goal of losing 5 pounds in 30 days. We have to be very clear about factors that we can control and factors that we can’t control. ~ Pat Davidson, PhD Former exercise science professor, director of training methodology at Peak Performance in New York City, via The Huffington Post #7 Be prepared
  • 7. Make any weight loss goal part of your lifestyle – something you do as a matter of course, rather than an afterthought. And the easiest way to make that work is good, old-fashioned preparation. Planning your nutrition,whether that’s lunches at work, food shopping in advance or having your dinner ready to go in a slow cooker will help you avoid last minute panic buys when you’re hungry and are more likely to make poor choices. ~ Emma Barraclough Senior Sports Nutritionist at SiS, via The Independent #8 Do less. Do it better. The same 2014 study also highlighted the importance of keeping resolutions manageable. Around one in ten respondents attributed their failure to keep their New Year Resolutions down to them making too many resolutions in the first place. Essentially it’s just a to-do list. When you start the day with 20 or 30 things on your to-do list, you’re never going to get to the end of them – and you’ll end the day feeling as though you failed, rather than taking pride and pleasure in what you have manged to achieve. Aim to do less and do it better – I’d advise a maximum of three resolutions, five if you absolutely must. ~ Amy Canning Careers coach, via The Guardian #9 Make it specific For many of us, our key objective is clear. We’d like to shed a bit of weight and get in shape. But, to maximise your chance of success, your resolution shouldn’t focus on the end-goal itself. Instead, it should be all about the steps you need to take to achieve that end-goal. That was a clear finding from Richard Wiseman’s University of Bristol study, discussed earlier in this post. It found that men achieved their goal 22% more often when they set small measurable goals. Lose 10 pounds sounds specific but it’s less likely to work than behavioural goals like: “This week I’ll start to go to the gym three times, take the stairs at least twice, and bring a healthy lunch every day. ~ Andrea Bonior Phsychologist, via The Guardian
  • 8. Avoiding decision fatigue Several of the steps outlined here are, in part, effective because they help tackle one of our key weaknesses. Decision fatigue. A nice explanation of this idea is provided by S J Scott and Rebecca Livermore in the excellent ‘Level up your day: How to maximise the 6 essential areas of your daily routine’ – the current number 1 Amazon seller on time management in the business category. The authors cite research by Shai Danziger, Jonathan Levav and Liora Avnaim-Pesso, who analyzed the factors that affected the likelihood of Israeli prisoners being released on parole. They found that the key influence on the judges’ decisions wasn’t something like the crime committed or sentence length. Instead, the biggest influence on judges’ decisions was when the prisoner stood in front of the judge. If a prisoner appeared in front of the judge later in the day, they were less likely to be released on parole. “As the day wore on, each judge lost the ability to make good decisions. As a result, he went with the path of least resistance – denying parole to those who appeared before him.” The researchers concluded that “judicial rulings can be swayed by extraneous variables that should have no bearing on legal decisions”. If that’s the case for monumental decisions such as those made by parole judges, you can imagine how significant a problem it can be when it comes to the everyday choices we face. (Like whether or not to go for that run – or curl up on the sofa with unhealthy snack.) Fortunately, obstacles such as decision fatigue can be avoided. For example, make sure you’re aiming for goals that are specific, achievable and under your control. And be sufficiently prepared that, as the day wears on, you don’t have to make tough decisions that could challenge your resolve. In other words, following the expert recommendations in this post can make all the difference. #10 Make it SMART SMART goals might be more associated with goal setting at work and in the business world. But SMART goals can be used to hit any type of target. And they can be very successful when it comes to matters of health. A few practical examples are suggested by BeWell@Stanford at Stanford University: Specific – I will increase my running mileage by 10% each week. Measureable – I will keep track of my running distance each day so I can track my progress towards my goal. Attainable – Is the goal attainable for me? Yes, given my current schedule and my desire to accomplish this goal, I feel that this is attainable. Realistic – Is the goal realistic for me? Yes, I have everything I need to make this goal a reality. I have the support and resources in place. Timely – I will sign up to run a half marathon in three months and a full marathon in six months. ~ Dr. Daemon Jones Weight loss expert, via Empowher
  • 9. #11 Test to ensure your best Tips 11 and 12 are closely related. They’re all about the importance of knowing where you are as an essential step on the way to getting where you want to. It’s common for many to not want initial data on weight or body fat when they start training, I guess we’d rather not know the bad news and prefer to wait for a better weight. As a Personal Trainer (PT) this is infuriating as we like to have as much data as possible to begin with and this data also acts as a ceiling with which to work with. Get a proper bodyfat score (7 site calliper test or a bioelectrical impedance test with pads on both hands AND feet) – all good PT’s will be able to offer one or the other for a small fee (and the chance to upsell some training). Take circumferential measurements, peak flow and, if available, even a spirometer reading. Once you have this data, a number of specific goals can be set over the coming months that pertain to each measurement which will give you a constant and varied focus. ~ Matthew Powell Body Aware Specialist expert writer via Health and Fitness Travel #12 Track to stay on track Further evidence (courtesty of the Finder.com.au survey mentioned earlier) suggests another important reason why people fail to make their resolutions stick. According to a third of people in a 2014 survey, it was failure to keep track of progress that was key. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. ~ Peter Drucker (allegedly) Writer, professor, management consultant #13 Reward yourself It is so important to reward ourselves on the way to achieving our goals as well as once we achieve them. This will help us stick to the resolution without having to wait until we achieve our ultimate goal. You hold the keys to your success so it’s important to allow yourself to tap into your potential and to recognise when we have done so. ~ Penny Davenport Career mentor and coach via The Independent
  • 10. #14 Remind yourself Evidence from the Finder.com.au survey suggests that one of the most common reasons for New Years’ Resolutions falling by the wayside – acccounting for almost a quarter of all resolution failures – is simply forgetting about it. Keep a visual reminder of your resolution handy, whether it be a picture of your football idol on your phone or an inspirational message in your wallet. The only thing that stops you from sticking to your resolutions is yourself. ~ Dr Georges Petitjean Founder of Arthur Coaching, whose mission is to promote the coaching of young people, via The Independent #15 Go public The finder.com.au survey mentioned above found that, of those who did achieve their resolutions, more than three-quarters believed that sharing their goals, played a role in their success. Working out with a friend allows for a little friendly competition and increased accountability. Choose goals together and get to work! It’s always a little easier when you know someone is rooting for up and waiting for you at the gym. ~ Rebecca Mahoney Certified personal trainer, via The Huffington Post #16 Pick something positive Avoid your New Year Resolutions turning into a list of things that you can’t do. Your resolutions are much more likely to stick if you resolve to do something positive, like eating a healthy vegetable-based meal once a week. Willpower is a muscle and you have to strengthen it slowly in order to nurture it. You’ll damage its effectiveness through overuse. ~ Denise Cummins (Amazon) Behavioural expert, via The Guardian #17 Enjoy yourself On a related note, you’ll make the resolutions game far easier – and a whole lot less stressful – if you can make it a commitment to do something that’s actually fun. Many people can get easily discouraged and give up when there’s too much emphasis on weight loss. Focus on the joys of exercise and movement instead. Take pride in your body getting stronger. Think about the boost in energy you get after a workout. Do set goals, but make them about making
  • 11. fitness fun: Commit to joining a class three days a week or to signing up for a race. Just find something you consider fun! ~ Chris Freytag Fitness expert, author of Get Started with Weight Loss, via The Huffington Post #18 Get social Make your resolution not about you. Oliver Balch highlights the success of the London-based GoodGym, a group of runners that combines regular exercise with helping our communities. In short, its aims to help you get fit by doing good. As Oliver describes it, GoodGym allows Londoners to ditch the self-absorption of the treadmill for shared runs that also involve helping out on a community project. Spending time with friends is one of life’s universal joys, so why not give a social edge to your pledge? ~ Oliver Balch Freelance writer specialising in the role of business in society, via The Guardian #19 Sleep more The most effective trick for making your New Year Resolutions stick might be the simplest. According to Richard Wiseman, who has conducted extensive research on this issue, the answer may be a simple as getting a good night’s sleep. Last month I asked more than 1,000 people to rate both the quality of their sleep and how successful they were at achieving their resolutions. The results revealed a strong relationship, with 60% of people who slept well saying they were able to achieve their resolutions, compared to just 44% of those who slept poorly. ~ Richard Wiseman (Wikipedia | Twitter | Amazon) Psychologist and author, via The Guardian How to sleep more It’s easy to say. But how do you actually go about sleeping more? In a recent excellent article in The Guardian, Richard Wiseman suggests five scientifically proven ways to improve the quality of your sleep. Tire your mind. If you’re lying in bed, unable to sleep, challenge yourself mentally. One example – try to think of countries beginning with each letter of the alphabet. Get out of bed if you find yourself lying awake for more than 20 minutes. Then spend 15 minutes reading a book or doing a jigsaw. Behave as if you’re sleep and you may well fool your body into thinking it’s time for sleep. Time your night’s sleep so you avoid waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle. These cycles last for around 90 minutes, so aim to sleep for a multiple of 90 minutes. If you know you need to be up at 7am, then aim to fall asleep at around 10pm or 11.30pm.
  • 12. In the hour before you go to bed, avoid electronic devices that emit light towards the blue end of the spectrum. Such devices – like computer screens, tablets and your smartphone – disrupt the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. #20 Walk through the door Okay, maybe there’s time for just one more resolution hack. If the above tips don’t do it for you, then here’s some contrarian advice. It goes completely against some of what I suggested above…but maybe there’s some method in the madness. Let me know what you think. What do you think? Any questions or feedback? Agree or disagree with my conclusion? Let me know by dropping a comment below. © 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
  • 13. weightlossrunners.com http://weightlossrunners.com/new-year-resolutions/3/ The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick 20 expert ideas for the perfect New Year Resolution Ultimately, the only person who can decide the right resolution for you is…wait for it…no surprise here…it’s you. But, for an extra helping hand, Readers Digest, Fitbie and Boston Magazine recently put out some great posts checking out a few of the resolutions that experts themselves are shooting for this year. Here are the highlights: Food We’re big fans of goals that start with ‘eat more’ ~ Lauren Slayton Director of FoodTrainers, a New York City-based nutrition counseling service Give up refined sugars ~ Erin Scott Food blogger and author of Yummy Supper Make one new recipe per month ~ Rania Batayneh Author of The One One One Diet To continue counting quality, not calories ~ Dave Asprey Founder of The Bulletproof Executive and author of The Bulletproof Diet Drink Drink more water! ~ Dawna Stone Apprentice winner and author of The Healthy You Diet Exercise
  • 14. I want to get out of my exercise comfort zone! ~ Mark Moyad Author of The Supplement Handbook Keep helping others recognize the benefits of exercise ~ Jordan Metzl, MD Author of The Exercise Cure To do more swimming and bike riding, and to make more healthy homemade salads and vegetable soups ~ Derek Fell Garden writer and photographer Becoming a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist ~ Danielle Kosecki Health editor for Glamour magazine Try to invite friends to join me in more of my workouts…Social sweats kill two birds with one stone ~ Cate Brinch Owner of Recycle Studio Sleep Sleep at least 7 hours a night ~ Harley Pasternak Celebrity trainer and author of 5 Pounds Cut down on watching TV or using my computer two hours before bedtime ~ Josna Adusumilli Neurologist and sleep specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital Lifestyle I make daily goals of improving, never losing sight of the big goals at hand.
  • 15. ~ Dolvett Quince Trainer on NBC’s The Biggest Loser Align my thoughts and actions with my hope for a kinder world where humans appreciate and respect other animals and nature. ~ Gene Bauer Vegan activist and author of Living the Farm Sanctuary Life Take risks, stand out, be bold, stand for something, and MAKE NOISE in 2015 to look and feel your best! ~ Kirsten Potenza and Cristina Peerenboom Founders of POUND Carve out 10 minutes every morning to take a little time out ~ Hanneke Antonelli Pilates instructor and life coach In order to increase life balance, I’ve decided to increase my yoga sessions from two to three times per week, and add an additional 15 minutes of daily meditation. ~ Mike Speights Owner of healthy meal delivery service The Foodery Setting out daily choices ~ Vyda Bielkus One of the four sisters behind Beacon Hill yoga studio Health Yoga Life Be on my phone less and be active in creating ‘day-making’ interactions in places like the gym, coffee shop, or on the street ~ Dan Fitzgerald South End Athletic Company co-owner Carve out time every single day to meditate so I can fully experience all of the positive health benefits it has to offer ~ Lauren Marett-Sherman
  • 16. Owner of Pure Barre Boston and co-owner of Pure Barre Brookline New Year Resolutions for new (and experienced) runners What about those who’ve just started running? Or those who’ve been running for a while but need a new challenge? Runners World magazine recently polled their Facebook followers and found the following list of top running-related resolutions. Run for 30 minutes straight Run my first marathon Increasy my weekly mileage Learn to love running Finish a half-marathon Stay injury-free Eat a healthier diet Return to running Train consistently Qualify for the Boston Marathon What do you think? Any questions or feedback? Agree or disagree with my conclusion? Let me know by dropping a comment below. © 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
  • 18. weightlossrunners.com http://weightlossrunners.com/new-year-resolutions/4/ The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick 20 Best Motivational Quotes for the perfect 2015 Hopefully the snippets above have given you some inspiration. But, once you’re up and running, how can you stay inspired and motivated when the initial enthusiasm starts to fade? Here’s a list of 20 ‘go-to’ quotes to help keep your resolutions on track. Believe you can and you’re halfway there ~ Theodore Roosevelt Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right ~ Henry Ford Look within…the secret is inside you ~ Hui-neng It’s in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped ~ Anthony Robbins You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. ~ Jack London Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other ~ Abraham Lincoln Put all excuses aside and remember this: YOU are capable ~ Zig Ziglar
  • 19. Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness ~ Edward Stanley Nothing will work unless you do ~ Maya Angelou Living a healthy lifestyle will only deprive you of poor health, lethargy and fat ~ Jill Johnson Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork ~ English proverb All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy shall form an invincible host against difficulties. ~ Helen Keller To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often ~ Winston Churchill You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think ~ Christopher Robin Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. ~ Lance Armstrong
  • 20. When we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us every opportunity of carrying them out ~ St John Chrysostom The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams ~ Eleanor Roosevelt Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward! ~ Robert C Gallagher The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure ~ Sven Goran Eriksson For more weight loss and running motivation, check out this post on our sister site RunningInjury: 25 Best Motivational Running Quotes of All Time © 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
  • 21. weightlossrunners.com http://weightlossrunners.com/new-year-resolutions/5/ The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick 5 Inspiring Videos To Strengthen Your Resolve #5 Rocky runs up the stairs This really isn’t about boxing. It’s pure motivation. Trying hard now…Getting strong now. Won’t be long now. Getting strong now…Gonna fly now. Flying high now. Gonna fly, fly, fly… #4 Believe in the run This was created to promote a certain sports brand. But forget that. It’s another great motivational video to get you out the front door. I belive that it starts one step at a time and then I have no idea where my dreams will take me #3 Spirit of the marathon It’s the ultimate goal for many of us who take up running for fitness, for weight, for a healthier more enjoyable life. And for good reason. The marathon means so much more than going for a run. When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow, no matter how fast, it will change your life forever. #2 Just try to watch this without crying You might think this an odd choice. One of my favourite motivational videos of all time is about someone already at the top of their game. Here’s an athlete in the form and fitness of their life. And he’s competing on the greatest stage, at the Olympic Games. But this video is as much about you and me – and our inner strength – as it is about one athlete. “You don’t have to do this,” he told his son. “Yes, I do,” he replied…When you don’t give up, you cannot fail. #1 The most inspiring video you will ever watch
  • 22. A truly inspiring video about a man who could run no more than 10 yards – and decided to do something about that. More than that, though, it’s about deciding to change your life for the better. Running for my existence More inspiring stories follow on the next, and final, page. For more weight loss and running motivation, you can also check out the full list of inspiring videos in this post on our sister site RunningInjury: 40 Top Videos for Instant Running Motivation What do you think? Any questions or feedback? Agree or disagree with my conclusion? Let me know by dropping a comment below. © 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.
  • 23. weightlossrunners.com http://weightlossrunners.com/new-year-resolutions/6/ The Fail Friday Fight Back: 50 Experts Reveal The Secret Behind New Year Resolutions That Stick 5 Weight Loss Running success stories #1 Success story Our first success story (via Runner’s World) is Stephanie Beall, aged 34, from Seattle. Stephanie found success through a varied approach to exercise, with running supplemented by cross-training (“swimming, combat or kickboxing class, weights, or a Jillian Michaels DVD”) Start of weight loss journey: 2013 Original weight: 286 pounds Weight loss goal: Lose 110 pounds Current weight: 196 pounds Stephanie’s experience: “I was sick and tired of being overweight and having no energy…I used New Year as a jump start to my journey…Another major reason, I lost my cousin to cancer in 2013… He always fought and lived his life to the fullest, it was time for me to take his example.” Motivational quote: “Your legs aren’t giving out, your head is giving up.” Start out small and build. You’ll be amazed what your body can do. ~ Stephanie Beall #2 Success story Next up is Chris Wookey, age 40 (via Prevention.com). She found success through running, first using an indoor treadmill, but before long she had taken to running in the great outdoors. Start of weight loss journey: 2011 Weight loss goal: Lose 50 pounds Motivation: “When I turned 40, it was like I woke up and clearly saw my life for the first time. I had a wonderful husband, two amazing sons…but I wasn’t happy. Something had to change, and I knew it had to start with my weight.” At first, my goal was to run a quarter mile without stopping. Then it was half a mile, then a mile…It was always hard work, but once I got through that first mile, it was like my body turned on autopilot and I could just – go. ~ Chris Wookey #3 Success story Our third sucess story is Jessica Marr, age 27 (via Redbookmag). She found success through a combination of
  • 24. counting calories and running (both treadmill running and outdoors) Start of weight loss journey: 2012 Original weight: 268 pounds New weight: 128 pounds Final thought: “I just completed the New York City Half marathon, and even now, the first mile is still the hardest. But it gets easier after that, so don’t give up!” Once I busted through the denial about my weight by stepping on a bathroom scale, I started counting calories and watching my portions. Then I…got on the treadmill: I’d walk for two minutes, until eventually I could jog for 10 minutes straight without slowing down. ~ Jessica Marr #4 Success story The story (via Fitness Magazine) behind the success of Amy Banfield, age 22, is a familiar one. She successfully combined sensible diet (eg measuring portions and making fast food a rare treat) with exercise (initially regular workouts on the elliptical trainer and then taking up running, as well as swimming and cycling). Start of weight loss journey: 2008 Original weight: 199 pounds Current weight: 130 pounds Motivation: She decided it was time to act after experiencing a moment of humiliation, when she was turned away from a fraternity party with the words “No fat girls allowed”. Advice: “I write out a week’s worth of workouts in my planner so I don’t have to think about it—or back out —during the day.” To get into running, I walked one song and ran the next to keep going longer. ~ Amy Banfield #5 Success story
  • 25. Lisa and Graham Wharton – before and after their weight loss journey. The final success story is an award-winning one (via The Mirror and Slimming World USA) Lisa Wharton, age 42, and husband Graeme Wharton, age 43, achieved major weight loss through dietary changes, after joining Slimming World. “We swapped pre-made meals and convenience foods for healthy home-cooked meals…Our whole family have changed their diet.” Start of latest weight loss journey: 2012 Original weight: 216 pounds (Lisa) and 276 pounds (Graeme) Current weight: 148 pounds (Lisa) and 179 pounds (Graeme) Motivation (Graeme): “The turning point for me came on Christmas Day 2012. We got dressed up for dinner, but I felt so uncomfortable in my smart trousers and shirt because they were tight and I felt like I was spilling out over my trousers. I ended up going home to put my sweatpants on and that’s when I knew I needed to do something. Lisa had always raved about Slimming World and I thought it might help me too, so I suggested we do it together.” Lisa and Graeme’s experience: “You get so much encouragement. I used to joke that before Slimming World I couldn’t run a bath, now Lisa and I have done the Great North Run [popular UK half-marathon] and we’re part of the official Slimming World team running the London Marathon!” Going through this journey together means so much and we couldn’t be more proud of each other. ~ Lisa Wharton Final Thoughts Wrapping up The bottom line? Well, there’s some good news and bad news. The bad news, to put it bluntly, is that we’re usually pathetic at sticking to resolutions. The good news is that it’s not actually that difficult to come up with a New Year Resolution that stands a good chance of succeeding. Just follow the ground rules outlined in this post, tweak your existing resolution or start from scratch and commit yourself to a new one, and you’ll be on the right track. The even better news is that, these days, there are some brilliant tools for you to take advantage of. These are apps that are specifically designed to help you achieve your New Year Resolution goals. They’re easy to access whenever you’re out and about. And they really do work. So to really kickstart your resolutions, I’ve put together a special bonus resource pack. It’s designed so that you can access the information and motivation you need at any time. In the pack you’ll find:
  • 26. A pdf version of this article, so you can print out and keep the essential tips and motivational tricks. A 2015 New Years’ Resolution interactive tool to help you choose a goal, share it with friends and keep track of your progress. A free report with five great resources to make sure your resolutions really do stick. It’s completely FREE – just click here to download the resources now. Fail Friday? The fightback is on. © 2015 Weight Loss Runners. All Rights Reserved.