Make your New Year's resolution work: Ask a physio to help!

It's that time of year again, where we all pledge "New Year, New Start" and a host of resolutions are made.

Yet, I am sure it is unsurprising to most to hear that only 75% of New Year's resolutions make it through the first week! And only 46% of resolutions make it to the first 6 months!

What's even more surprising to hear is that these figures get worse as people age! People in their 50's are twice as likely to give up on their resolution than someone in their twenties!

So why do so many people give up on their resolution?

In short, because they haven't set themselves a realistic target or haven't thought about what is needed to maintain this or even to part achieve their goal!

What are the most common New Year's Resolutions?

The image to the left highlights the order of the most commonly set New Year's resolutions.

The most common two of course being lose weight and exercise more.

So why do people give up and how can a physiotherapist help? There are so many reasons as to why people give up on their resolutions. First of all, losing weight and exercising more has numerous health benefits. For example; lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, less risk of stroke, heart attack and some cancers. Not withstanding the sense of achievement and well-being you feel after exercising. However, when people have their epiphany to get into shape, they have no idea of goal setting or what is a realistic goal to set to achieve by when! We all have that good intention to "lose 3 stone" or "run 10km, 4 times a week" or "run the London Marathon" but how can you achieve this if you don't know just how difficult this is? Particularly if you have never ran past the garden gate since you left school? Is it any wonder that people give up so soon, even more so when people get older? Because exercising as we get older does get harder and gaining results does take longer! Note I have not said that it is not achievable And this is where your physiotherapist can help you! Without sounding like I have been on a course recently, but we as physiotherapists are really good at working with their clients to help them set both realistic short and long term SMART goals!

We tend to consider the R to be Realistic

Whilst losing 3 stone and running 10km 4 times a week are great goals to have, and no one should be knocked down for having such a goal, particularly as I have already stated some of the health benefits and we as a Nation still need to do more for ourselves in this area. I would consider these a long term goal and not very SMART. There is no timescale, is it achievable and realistic in the timescale you probably do have deep within your mindset?

These goals would need to be broken down into smaller short term goals and be SMART.

For example; lose 1/2 stone in 4 weeks by cutting out chocolate and wine and going for a 30 minute brisk walk every evening.

Or, I will start jogging to the end off my road and back at a pace I can hold a conversation with someone twice a week for 2 weeks.

These are smaller, achievable stepping stones that can be used to abridge the more desirable long term goal.

As a physiotherapist, we have to use these skills daily. A person who has been using a wheelchair for 2 years who wants to walk without any walking aids will need to have similar conversations: "Perhaps it would be better if we practiced walking with a zimmer frame over the next few weeks to the kitchen and back, let's see how you manage with that first." Or the person who is recovering from a fractured femur (leg bone) who wants to run a half marathon in 3 months to raise money for charity: "Let's see how quickly we can get you off of those crutches and walking without any help at all, and give you some thigh strengthening exercises for you to perform at home over the next 4 weeks, we can think about jogging on your leg later on after that". If we didn't have these conversations at the outset, people's goals would not be realised and their expectations will be left raised too high, only for the disappointment to be worse when they realise their goal is not achievable in the time frame they hoped.

This is why many resolutions, particularly weight loss and exercise fall by the way side. They're not SMART, they're somewhat unrealistic. Resolutions are great and can work, if they're realistic. I have set myself the very same target: To lose some weight and to exercise more, but I know my goals are realistic. If you want help in losing weight and exercising more, then speak to your local, friendly physiotherapist for help and professional advice.