New Year’s Resolutions? You Are Doomed!

And why that’s not your fault.

I am the eternal optimist in my family and offer encouragement at every turn, so why would I say such a negative thing about your New Year’s resolutions? The reality is that our environment does not support change for the better.

Let’s look at the most common resolution. Most people want to lose weight but find it difficult over the long haul. Unless you have near steel-like will, it becomes almost impossible to sustain. What’s more, the dieting yo-yo effect often increases weight to new, higher levels once the effort is abandoned.

If the environment were supportive, we would see smaller portions in supermarkets and restaurants. Less sugar and fat would be used, and menus would offer more genuinely lower-calorie options. Life is not measured in salads.

People at work, at home, and among friends might gently help you toward your goals. More often, jokes are made and resolutions are sabotaged in a thousand subtle ways. The weight loss and fitness industries are high-cost for users, locking people into long-term contracts that outlast enthusiasm by months. Sporting facilities are often aimed at local elites rather than the overweight mum who simply wants to move more, yet has no easy entry point.

Swimming is ideal for taking pressure off joints and building muscle, but again, sign-up courses are the mainstay of recreational organisations. Why can’t people be supported with low-cost, friendly, individualised plans? Personal trainers are found in parks, but not in coffee shops or supermarkets, the very places where everyday choices are made.

By February, and certainly by March, most New Year’s resolutions are dead.

Impossible goals cannot live in an impossible environment. And that is our reality.

But there is a way forward. Use compassion with yourself if you stumble or fall off. Be kind to yourself. If there is not one word of negativity in your internal dialogue, your mind begins to believe it. Appreciate yourself when you look in the mirror. “OK, there is a large stomach, but when I smile, I look so much better.”

Be adaptive in order to survive. Take your courage in your hands and change your immediate environment. For example, decide that sweets and candy are not kept in the house. Take a friend or family member for a walk in the park. If you are truly stuck on your own, rely on the positive energy of your surroundings, the way the park looks today. Whatever the season, there are always points of joy.

As for the yo-yo effect, science is slowly learning how and why our bodies stack on weight, and hopefully better support will emerge over the next 10 to 20 years.

Step away from doom. Choose positive energy. Change your life for the better.