January first feels like a magical date. With the new year comes 12 months of new possibility. It feels fresh. It feels exciting. It feels like you can do anything and become anyone. So, like countless others, you set a New Year’s Resolution, promising to be perfect. You’re going to hit your strength training routine at the gym 6 days a week, drink celery juice every morning and meal prep all of your meals! And you do!

…For a few weeks. Until life happens. You go out of town. Your workload increases and you hit a busy season. You lose interest or become distracted, and before you know it- your resolution has completely fizzled out by February. Then 11 months later on Dec 31st you make THE SAME EXACT RESOLUTION.

It is literal insanity but I’ve seen it every year.

Why is it that most people set lofty resolutions on Jan 1st that fizzle out in a month?

I think it comes down to 5 main problems. And if your New Year’s Resolutions always seem to fail, it may be because of one or all of these things.

PROBLEM #1: YOU HAVE A DOWN-STREAM APPROACH TO YOUR GOALS

ladies who lift solution: ADDRESS THE ROOT OF YOUR PROBLEM

If you haven't been successful in reaching your goals, you might be ignoring the root of your problem. It's impossible to reach your goals if you don't know what has been holding you back in the past.

Ask yourself: Why haven't I been successful in the past? Then keep asking why and peel back as many layers as you can to get to the root.

For example: Your goal is to eat healthy

You say your goal is to eat healthy. But why haven't I been successful in the past? I haven't been successful at eating healthy in the past because I don't cook meals at home. I normally order food or do microwavable meals.

Why haven't I been able to make meals at home? Because I don't like cooking

Why don't I like cooking? Because I don't know how to cook

So now, instead of having the generic, "Eat healthier" as a goal, we know that a BETTER goal would be to "learn how to cook" because that would address the root cause of WHY we aren't eating healthy in the first place.

Then if we keep using this up-stream approach as we work on our goals, we might realize that we also don't enjoy it because it feels like a chore - so we play some music and invite a friend over to make it more fun. We might realize that we hate grocery shopping - so we order groceries to get delivered instead of going to the store or maybe we try the farmers market to see if that is more enjoyable.

Once you understand how to apply this skill of root-cause problem solving, you can apply it all year round to trouble shoot whenever your progress towards your goals hits a road bump. This will give you more longevity over time and help you maintain better, more consistent progress.

PROBLEM #2: YOU GO TOO HARD TOO FAST AND HAVE AN ALL-OR-NOTHING MENTALITY

ladies who lift solution: set progressive goals

You want to be that gym babe that strength trains 5 days a week? Great, you totally can be! But if you are starting from scratch, I would start with working out 2x/week for the month of January. Then, re-assess month to month. Was training 2x/week hard to fit into your schedule? That's okay! Keep it as is until it's part of your normal routine. Once it is a consistent part of your life, then build from there. Try strength training 3x/week, then 4, then 5. By the time you get to 5 days a week you will have already established that this is a habit that is part of your normal routine and it realistically fits in with the rest of your life. You will be way less likely to completely fall off the wagon or burn out if you start small. You may also find out along the journey that 3 or 4 days is more realistic and enjoyable and will help you maintain progress over a long period of time. Remember, consistency is key. It is far better to train 3x/week for a year than 6x/week for a month.

PROBLEM #3: YOU are a people pleaser

ladies who lift solution: find accountability

Do you prioritize the needs of those around you over your own needs?

Are you more likely to do a task if someone asks you to?

Do you find yourself bending over backwards and going out of your way to help other people?

Do you struggle with telling people "no"?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are a certified People-Pleaser.

As a recovering People-Pleaser myself, I know first hand that it is very hard to kick these habits. It's hard to put yourself first. It goes against your nature to say "no, I cant do that for you, I need to prioritize myself." Just writing that sentence gave me heart palpitations.

While I would love for all of you to stop being people-pleasers, and put yourself first, I know it doesn't happen overnight. So while you start to work on prioritizing your needs, set up an action plan where being a people-pleaser AND working on your health and fitness goals align.

Having accountability is key.

You are more likely to skip a workout if it is only a commitment you made to yourself, but if you have an accountability buddy, I know you won't skip it. So find a buddy to work out with. Set an appointment in your calendar and treat it like an important work meeting that you can't miss. Hire a Ladies Who Lift trainer. Strength train with a coach who will check in on you each week to keep you on track with your progress towards your goals. We have plenty of clients who literally would not make time for themselves to work out on their own, but if they have a "session with Coach Amy" in their calendar, they will never miss a workout because they know we’re there waiting for them. Take our quiz to find out which of the Ladies Who Lift Leader, Transformer, or Ambassador Programs offers the right level of accountability for where you are in your fitness journey.

PROBLEM #4: YOU set unrealistic goals

ladies who lift solution: know thyself

The beauty standard is designed to be unattainable. If the perfect body remains just out of reach, companies can keep selling you products that promise to get you there. The truth is: you are not going to have a tiny waist with defined abs and no pooch AND a thicc booty with no hip-dips, cellulite or stretch marks AND toned legs with a thigh gap AND have flawless skin. Even the influencers that you think look like this don't actually in real life thanks to #filters and #facetune. So let that sh*t go, ladies! If you want to have aesthetic goals for your body, that's cool, we support it ...but set realistic goals based on the beautiful, wonderful body that you already have.

If you gained 20 lbs over the course of the past two years, do not set a goal to lose 20 lb in 30 days. If you have always been thin and you don't put muscle on easily, you are not going to have a dump truck by February. If you're a grown ass adult woman, don't use your old high school jeans as #goals. Setting unrealistic goals is one of the main reasons that people drop off by February. You think that you are a failure because you didn't meet an insanely impossible goal in the first 30 days of trying a new program. This is a big problem because results take time. Consistency over a long period of time is key to lasting results. So meet yourself where you are now and start there. It takes time to build the habits that will get you to your goals. Focus on the long-game, not the catchy 30-day promises that are going to be marketed to you on Jan 1st.

PROBLEM #5: THERE IS TOO MUCH CONFLICTING INFORMATION OUT THERE AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO REACH YOUR GOALS

ladies who lift solution: let a professional do the hard work

Are you a chronic yo-yo dieter?

Do you hop around aimlessly from one workout to another?

Do you chase fads and quick-fixes?

Do you get confused by all of the conflicting information out there?

Let us help you! We want our clients to achieve their goals. That's why we are all certified Personal Trainers and continue to educate ourselves with advanced courses. We are guided by scientific principles when we build your program. You can be confident that with our custom programs you are getting a tailored approach that is designed specifically for YOU to reach YOUR GOALS with a process that is backed by science, is practical, and will fit into your lifestyle. If you are on the ambassador program, you also get a session each month to dive deeper into nutrition and other areas of your life that affect your health. We at Ladies Who Lift are here to guide and educate you. We are here to help clear up any confusion & give you the confidence you need to stay consistent and reach your 2022 goals and beyond!