No Year's Resolutions

December 27, 2010 // Al Kavadlo

I’m not making any New Year’s resolutions for 2011 and you shouldn’t either. No, we’re not already perfect, I’m simply taking issue with New Year’s resolutions as a concept.

Why They Don’t Work
Most resolutions fall into one of two categories, they’re either overly vague (I’m going to get fit in 2011!) or unrealistically rigid (I’m cutting out all grains and simple sugars for 2011!). These types of resolutions are problematic because they don’t hold you accountable and/or they set you up to fail (which can sometimes be a good thing, but not in this case).

Even “better” resolutions (I’m going to exercise at least three times a week in 2011!) are still useless. Why? Because the calendar is just something WE MADE UP.

We made it up so we can know to meet at a certain time on a certain day and keep track of history to the best of our abilities (and it’s very helpful for those things) but it’s not real. Days and months and years are based on the actual cycle of the planets and stars, yes, but we made up the details.

What You Can Do
Every day is just a day, but it’s also a new opportunity, regardless of whether it’s January 1st or December 27th. It doesn’t make a difference when you start making changes in your life. Your body reacts to the signals you give it every single day, so stop waiting for things to fall into place and start taking action today.

For those of you who may be new to fitness, remember to ease in slowly and be patient. Those of us working out every day and/or following healthy eating plans didn’t make drastic changes overnight.

Setting idealistic (unrealistic) goals is a waste of time. Focus on the process and take it step by step instead of looking ahead an entire year. The next 365 days will likely go by even quicker than the last, but if you set your sights on taking it one day at a time, you may be surprised by what the future brings.