HOW TO AVOID FAILED NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS: 5 ESSENTIAL TIPS

As the end of January approaches, the “New Year, New Me!” resolutions seem a tad overly ambitious in hindsight, don’t they?

Drunk with festive season euphoria, you tapped out a series of goals, plans and guidelines in your Notes app to make 2016 your most productive and successful year yet.

However, as January comes to an end and 1/12 of 2016 has already flown by (OMG is it almost February already, where has the year gone?!?), you can feel that temptation to go back to skipping leg day rearing its ugly head already.

Rather than throwing your 2016 resolutions in the bin, alongside your 2015, 2014 and pre-dated noughties resolutions, here’s 5 tips to help you see your health and fitness goals through until Santa Claus rolls back into town.

If “Get more swole” is perched atop your list, you might want to re-think your strategy.

While you and almost every other gym junkie now have something in common, rather than measuring your success by how popping your pecs look in your new muscle tee, come up with a plan to keep yourself on track, accountable and motivated all year round.

Think monthly progress pics, measurements, workout logs, whatever will help YOU stay on track.

No progress by February 1st? No worries, use that as a much needed kick-up-the-butt to work your ass off to show your body who’s boss come March.

Set your day up for success with a morning ritual worth its weight in bumper plates.

Chronic “snoozer”? Notorious breakfast skipper?

Kiss your bad habits good-bye and punch the day in the face by showing your alarm clock who’s boss.

Give yourself 90 minutes and take your time getting ready for whatever your day holds, rather than procrastinating leaving your blanket fortress until 10 minutes before you have to be out the door. Start the day stressed and flustered and you’ve struck out before stepping up to the plate.

Who is responsible for your physique? You.

Who gets to decide if you push out one more rep or rack the bar? You.

Who decides if you’re going to demolish a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Half Baked while binge watching Jessica Jones instead of training legs? (This is becoming a bit of re-occurring theme, isn’t it?) You guessed it; You.

As Napoleon Hill once said: “You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.”

Is 2016 the year to trade in your gym buddy for a new model?

If you’re feeling your progress being weighed down by the usual culprit time and time again, it might be time to cut the fat.

Surround yourself with those who you aspire to, those who motivate you to push yourself to the absolute limit, not those who push you to bitch out of your last set so you can go smash a Big Mac or three on the way home, and neglect Myfitnesspal harder than you neglected your Tamagotchi when Pokemon became a thing.

You never know if you’re going to catch Crossfit Fever come June, or if you’re going to get in touch with the inner Yogi you never knew was there as Spring rolls around.

If 100% of your resolutions involve increasing your 1RM on bench press or getting 22” arms like CT Fletcher, does this mean foregoing the WODs and Downward Dogs until 2017?

Absolutely not! Re-evaluate your resolutions, update your goals, and approach your new-found aspirations with the same dedication that ran through your veins at 11:59pm on December 31st as you sipped your low-carb beer welcoming in the “New You” all over again.