Study: 97% of people have already given up on their New Years resolutions

NEW YORK – For many people, the transition from the old year to the new year symbolizes a metamorphosis of sorts, where they shed the negativity of the past 12 months and start anew with resolutions designed to improve their lives or make them a better person. However, a new study has shown that as of 10 a.m. EST on January 1st, 97% of people have already given up on their New Years resolutions.

The study indicated the number one reason people give up on their resolutions so quickly is because a singular rotation of our planet around the sun does not magically wipe away the events of the past year and it’s an arbitrary measurement that has no real-world implications on people’s behavior.

“The fact of the matter is that most people come up with really broad resolutions that can feel daunting, especially when results are not immediate,” said Dr. Wendy Fallon, a behavioral psychologist. “One of the most common resolutions people fail deals with weight loss. It’s really easy to say you want to eat healthier and work out more, but it’s hard to completely change your lifestyle overnight.”

To help achieve success with your New Years resolutions, Fallon suggests making SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Action Oriented, Realistic, and Time-Driven/Timely.

SPECIFIC

“Your resolution should be focused and concise,” said Fallon. “The more specific you are with your goal, the easier it will be to measure your progress.”

An example of a non-specific goal would be: I want to lose weight.

On the other hand, an example of a specific goal would be: I want to lose 200 pounds.

MEASUREABLE

“Making your goals measurable allows you to have milestones that are more digestible than something non-measurable,” said Fallon. “These milestones give you small accomplishments that can help motivate you to keep going. After all, if you’re able to work out two days a week, there’s no reason you can’t work out three. Then four and five.”

An example of a non-measurable goal would be: I want to lose 200 pounds.

An example of a measurable goal would be: I want to lose 200 pounds by the end of the year.

ACTION ORIENTED

“A goal should be specific about how you’re going to achieve it,” said Fallon. “Winning the lottery could be an easy, effortless way to make more money but the odds of achieving that goal is astronomically low.”

An example of a non-action-oriented goal would be: I want to lose 200 pounds by the end of the year

An example of an action-oriented goal would be: I want to lose 200 pounds by the end of the year by going to the gym twice a day, every day, for three hours.

REALISTIC

“A goal needs to be something that is yours and can actually be done,” said Fallon. “Your goal should not be something you read off a meme online and you shouldn’t jump straight into the deep end, especially if it’s something you’re not regularly accustomed to.”

An example of a non-realistic goal would be: I want to lose 200 pounds by the end of the year by going to the gym twice a day, every day, for three hours.

An example of a realistic goal would be: I want to lose 200 pounds by the end of the year by going to the gym every day for one hour and work with a trainer to help me build a workout plan that will help me reach my goal.

TIME-DRIVEN/TIMELY

“Breaking your goal down into timely chunks will give you those milestones that are easier to achieve,” said Fallon. “It also allows you to frequently look back on your progress and reexamine how you’re doing and what changes you should make if needed.”

Goals can be broken down into whatever chunks make the most amount of sense for that specific goal. If we take the example we’ve been working with, we can break it down like this:

Goal: I want to lose 200 pounds by the end of the year by going to the gym every day for one hour and work with a trainer to help me build a workout plan that will help me reach my goal.

Milestone 1: I want to lose 20 pounds by the end of March by going to the gym three days a week for one hour and work with a trainer to help me build a workout plan that will help me reach my goal.

Milestone 2: I want to lose 75 pounds by the end of June by going to the gym four days a week and working with a trainer to ensure my workout plan is still optimized.

Milestone 3: I want to lose 150 pounds by the end of September by going to the gym five days a week and working with a trainer to ensure my workout plan is still optimized.

Milestone 4: I want to lose 200 pounds by the end of September by going to the gym five days a week and working with a trainer to ensure my workout plan is still optimized.

“It’s important to remember that if you fail to meet a milestone, it’s okay,” said Fallon. “What is important is the forward progress. Missing a milestone is a valuable opportunity to examine what you’re doing and make adjustments as necessary.”

Have you made any resolutions this year? Let us know what they are in the comments!

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