Evidence Based
At the start of the year, many people pledge to stop eating junk food, lose weight, or quit unhealthy habits.
But by February, most health and fitness resolutions have fizzled out.
So, how do you make them stick?
Researchers at Stockholm University explored this in a study involving 1,066 participants. They split the people into three groups and provided varying levels of support for achieving their resolutions.
One group got general advice about resolutions, another received extra tips and monthly check-ins, and a third also learned about SMART goals, motivation, dealing with setbacks, and focusing on “approach” goals (e.g., eat more vegetables) instead of “avoidance” goals (e.g., stop eating sugar).
The results were hit and miss, so it’s tough to draw firm conclusions from much of the data.
However, one key takeaway stood out: approach goals work better than avoidance goals.
People with approach goals, like “eat more whole foods,” were significantly more likely to succeed (~59%) than those with avoidance goals, such as “cut out processed foods” (~47%)—a trend seen in other studies as well.
So, if you want to give yourself the best chance of sticking to your health and fitness resolutions, rework them into approach-oriented goals. For instance:
- Instead of “spend less time on social media,” focus on “read for 30 minutes a day.”
- Instead of “stop eating junk food,” commit to “add a serving of veggies to every meal.”
- Instead of “cut back on screen time before bed,” aim to “do five minutes of gratitude journaling before sleeping.”
By focusing on what you will do rather than what you won’t do, you give yourself a better chance of success.
Scientific References +
- Oscarsson, Martin, et al. “A Large-Scale Experiment on New Year’s Resolutions: Approach-Oriented Goals Are More Successful than Avoidance-Oriented Goals.” PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 12, 9 Dec. 2020, p. e0234097, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234097. Accessed 10 Dec. 2020.
- Elliot, Andrew J., et al. “Avoidance Personal Goals and Subjective Well-Being.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 23, no. 9, Sept. 1997, pp. 915–927, https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167297239001.
- Church, Marcy A., et al. “Perceptions of Classroom Environment, Achievement Goals, and Achievement Outcomes.” Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 93, no. 1, Mar. 2001, pp. 43–54, https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.93.1.43. Accessed 13 Nov. 2019.
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