5 New Year’s Resolution Mistakes + How to Avoid Them
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I bet many of you had resolutions on your mind. But guess what? If you're feeling a bit off track already, you're not alone. In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we're diving deep into why resolutions often fizzle out and how you can rewrite that narrative.
Join me as we explore the reasons behind the shocking statistics of resolution abandonment and, more importantly, discover the Consistency Code – the key to turning those resolutions into lasting habits.
By the end of this episode, you'll be armed with insights and strategies to infuse consistency into your journey. No more feeling defeated by unrealistic goals or vague resolutions. We're about to set you on a path where progress triumphs over perfection.
What I discuss:
Setting Unrealistic Goals
Lack of clarity
Ignoring your why
Going Solo
All or Nothing Thinking
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human you're listening to Embrace Your Real With Me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I get you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:21][21.0]
[00:00:26] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. Have a question? Did you start working towards your New Year's resolutions or have you already given up on them? The truth is that 23% of people quit the resolution by the end of the first week. And get this, 43% have already quit by the end of January. What's even more shocking is that only 9% of Americans actually complete their New Year's resolutions by the end of the year. That is crazy. [00:00:58][31.8]
[00:00:59] So in today's episode, that is why we are going to kind of dissect why people aren't sticking to their New Year's resolutions and what they can do instead. Because, as you know, the only way to reach your goals is to be consistent. But how do we get there? That's exactly what we're going to be talking about in today's episode, so stay tuned. [00:01:16][17.6]
[00:01:17] Before we dive in, though, I wanted to share this review that comes from the beautiful 100. She gave a five star review and said, best pre-workout all around. I am someone who deeply connects with music. I always, always have been. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy audio books and podcasts, but I never choose them over music during a workout. This is the only podcast I can listen to during the workout, and I swear it's better than any pre-workout I've ever had. It's so beautiful and authentic and powerful. Thank you Julie for your strength and vulnerability. You are an answer to so many women's prayers and I look forward to listening to your podcast daily. I have learned so much. [00:01:55][38.6]
[00:01:56] I love this so, so much. Thank you so much for tuning in to the podcast and the fact that you have been choosing a podcast over music. That's just that's a complete honor, honestly, because I know I get in these moods where, you know, I'm only listening to music, and then I go through seasons where I'm only listening to podcasts. And so thank you so, so much for tuning in to the podcast and taking time out of your day to leave a rating and review. They really do mean so much to me and our team. Just kind of know how this podcast is helping you. So thank you. If you guys could scooch over to Apple Podcasts, it is a brand new year, and I would love to hear how this podcast or specific episode has helped you. So you can scooch over to Apple Podcasts, type in and very surreal, and then leave a rating and review there. [00:02:39][43.3]
[00:02:40] All right, let's dive into the five New Year's resolution mistakes and how to avoid them. Number one setting unrealistic goals. Now, this is probably one of the biggest mistakes that people make when setting New Year's resolutions. I think it's amazing that you want to shoot for the moon, but we do need to do it in steps. It's super easy to fall into the trap of setting overly ambitious goals, such as vowing to go from the couch potato that you've been maybe the last, you know, two weeks or four weeks to a marathon runner overnight, or adopting a super strict diet without any preparation. This is why. And this is how we're setting ourself up for failure. And this is why so many people, you know, like I said, 23% of people have already quit the resolution by the first week and 43% by the end of January. And by the end of the year, only 9% of Americans actually complete it. That is a big reason why we're setting ourselves up for failure. [00:03:33][52.7]
[00:03:33] So the fix to this is to really start small. To avoid this mistake, it is essential to start small and be very specific with your goals. So instead of aiming for an extreme transformation, I need you to set achievable, incremental goals. For example, you might want to start working out. Start committing to working out two days a week instead of every single day. Write a set and so many people go, I'm going to go from 0 to 5 days a week. That's likely not going to be sustainable when you first start out. So start out with two days. Three days, right? Or maybe if you want to start getting just more effective in terms of fueling your body, try to commit to counting your macros for one meal. Like start out with. I'm going to try to count my macros for breakfast or for dinner instead of all 21 meals in a week, right? That can feel very overwhelming going from 0 to 21. And I think that this approach really allows for gradual progress, because you can actually stay consistent with it. And when you start to see progress, that's when you're building motivation over time rather than overwhelming yourself from the start. [00:04:36][62.4]
[00:04:36] So avoid the overwhelm and really find what's sustainable for you right now. Maybe that, again is one, two, three days a week instead of 5 or 6 and really start to be consistent with that so that that can be sustainable for you. Or on the nutrition side, maybe that's okay. I'm really going to get intentional about dinners this week. I'm going to start with that. I'm going to, you know, see how many grams of protein, carbs and fats are in my dinners and then go from there because that's going to be sustainable long term. [00:05:04][28.5]
[00:05:05] Number two is lack of clarity. So another common mistake that a lot of people do. And this was me, you guys, for a long time. And if I'm not checking myself when I set these goals, it's really easy to just do it by default. And that's to set these super vague resolutions or goals with really, you know that. Lack any sort of clarity or direction. So resolutions or goals like I want to be healthier or I want to get more organized, or I want to work out harder. Yeah, they might sound good in theory, but they make it super challenging to to, you know, to track progress in any way, shape or form. And even more so it it's really difficult to stay motivated. Right? While wanting to do these things are great without clarity, how are you going to stay consistent or how do you know if you are being consistent, if you really don't know what you're aiming for without clarity, again, you're setting yourself up for failure. So what is the fix to this? The fix to this is to make your goals super, super clear. The more clear, the better. So instead of this broad resolution like I want to be healthier, set a specific target. I want to lose 10 pounds by June. Not only are you saying exactly what healthier looks like to you, but you're also giving yourself a way to track progress and a deadline that's realistic, right? That's key that you need to meet in order to stay on track. So instead of these broad resolutions, again, like working out harder, make your resolution. I will work out at least three days a week for 30 minutes, or I will increase my squat by 20 pounds by June. That's a goal that I have. Or you know, I want to do 2 to 5 pull ups by summertime. Whatever it is, keep it very, very clear. Again. The more clear the better and the easier it is for you to track or another one. Instead of saying, I just want to eat better, you could set a resolution like I want to start by counting my protein. I want to be in very intentional by counting my protein, you know, every single day in January, I want to see how much protein I'm eating. And then in February, I will maybe start counting my protein and carbs. And then by March, maybe I might start counting my protein, carbs, and fats. Like, really? [00:07:16][131.2]
[00:07:17] Again, just be very intentional. Or if that sounds too overwhelming for you, starting from zero, I will learn what protein, carbs, and fats are in my dinners. That's, you know, one thing that I'm going to do, I'm not going to count my protein all day, but I am going to see in my dinners what my protein, carbs, and fats are. And I'm going to do that for every single dinner in the month of January and and then February, maybe I might start counting my lunches, and then by March, maybe I'll start counting my breakfasts. Like, really just being intentional and taking it slow and methodical. Because once you have clarity on what you need to do, you actually have the ideas and you have the step by step on what you can do to create an action plan on how to execute this. Because if you don't have any clarity on what you're even trying to achieve, it makes it nearly impossible to make any sort of plan that you can actually stick to. [00:08:08][50.9]
[00:08:08] Number three ignoring your why. And this is one of my favorite things to talk about, because it is so underrated for just how important this is, right? Reaching your goals becomes nearly impossible when you have no idea what the real reason and the real why is for reaching that goal. Focusing solely on the what of your resolutions without considering the why can be a huge hold up for the root cause of why you're not sticking to that resolution or goal. You might be able to make some changes in your life, but if you really don't understand the deeper motivation behind these goals, it's super easy to lose sight of them. You might not take them seriously, and you're likely going to let them slip away. So you're like, okay, what is the fix for this? You've got to figure out and define very clearly what is your why? What is the real reason that you want to be healthier? What is the real reason that you want to lose weight? What is the real reason that you want to work out more? When you really dig, you'll realize that it goes so much deeper than just wanting to weigh a certain amount of weight or fit into a certain pant size. You might realize, you know, I just really want to feel more energized so I can show up as the best version of myself for my family, my kids, my friends, my coworkers, my community. Your why might be that you are just tired of showing yourself disrespect by not taking care of yourself, and you understand that if you want others to respect you, you have to respect yourself first, right? Your why might be that you want to feel stronger in your life and become physically stronger. And when you become physically stronger, you also know that mentally stronger is a result as well because mental and physical go hand in hand. So I really want you to take a few minutes, whether that's five, ten, 15, 20 or really dig into it for an hour and ask yourself, what is my why? And if you don't know what your why is, or kind of how to discover that. I do have an episode for this, so I will be sure to link it, but you can kind of jot this down. If you're taking notes right now, tune in to episode 88 Five Steps to Finding Your Why again. I will link it in the show notes that you can easily go tune in to that after today's episode. I really think that that will help you to dissect it. I take you through step by step what to do if this is an exercise that you've never done, or maybe you haven't done it in a while, I think this will be very beneficial for you. [00:10:24][136.2]
[00:10:25] Number four going solo. This is so, so important. Do not try to do this journey completely alone. Having accountability is so important. People who are on the same journey as you, people who can celebrate your small wins. People who can be there for you. On the days that it's so hard, it can make it so much sweeter and so much more enjoyable and easier for you to stay consistent. Yes, your resolutions are oftentimes a personal thing, but attempting to tackle them entirely on your own, that's when it's going to increase the likelihood that you're going to give up. When you face temptations or setbacks. It's an easy thing to do when you are doing it with people because they can hold you accountable. Yeah, it might not feel good in the moment to have someone say, hey, remember you committed to four days a week, or hey, remember you committed to being more, uh, you know, intentional with your meals like that. Doesn't that might not feel good in the moment, but trust me when I say you'll look back and you'll be so thankful that you have those people to hold you accountable, right? Even just telling one person that can make a world of a difference. [00:11:31][65.8]
[00:11:31] So the fix for this, if you have been trying to do this solo and you're like, man, this is just not working out for me is to seek support, seek accountability. The easiest thing to do is to share your resolutions with friends or family. Better yet, share it with your friends and family and ask them to hold you accountable. Because there's one thing which is sharing them. Like these are my resolutions. Great! But a lot of times people don't want to hold you accountable unless you ask them to. So invite them in on this journey. Another thing that you can do is find people who are on the same journey as you, who understand how you're feeling, what you're going through, how hard you're working, and the number one like thing that I get people saying to me when I offer this advice is, okay, that's helpful. But like, how do I find these people? Right? You know, my husband doesn't have the same goals as me, or my sister is not on the same journey as me or my mom. You know, she's supportive, but she's not like in this with me. And this is exactly why I've built my online communities, because I found that it's so important to have people that might not be, again, not they don't probably have the same exact goal as you, but they have similar goals in mind. They have this need and this want to want to honor their body with movement and nourish their body with the proper amount of protein, carbs and fat. [00:12:49][77.5]
[00:12:49] So especially my movement with Julie community, this is one of the biggest, I would say, add ons to the program that I love is when you are an active subscriber in the app, you get also get access to the private Facebook group. There's thousands of women in this Facebook group, and the Facebook group is probably, you know, it's less than a fourth of our community, but, you know, there's over 4500 people in there. And that's an active community. I'm talking like we at least get 100 to 200 posts a day of women who are in their active. They're posting, they're encouraging each other. They're posting about their struggles, their questions, their small wins, their progress, and other women are there to support them, to offer them advice, guidance, celebration. It is so incredibly beautiful to witness, and it's one of the reasons why thousands of women stay consistent in this program is because they have access to this community. They are able to be pushed through the times, in the days, in the weeks, in the months that they want to give up, because they have this community of women. [00:13:48][58.7]
[00:13:48] So if you want that community, if you want to gain access to it, you are again, need to be an active subscriber in the app. And then you can go to Facebook, type in movement with Julie. Make sure you're looking at the group. I also have a page that's just like a public page, but the group is really the key to that community. That's where all those women are going to show up for you on a daily basis. And I tell women, you know, put in as much as you want to get out of it, like really show up on the days that you don't want you on the days that you do want to, like, show up. And when you show up, trust me, when I say people will start to comment, they'll start to encourage you and you'll really start to build these deep found relationships. There are some women in this group that have built forever friendships, and, you know, they're in different states, but they're visiting each other multiple times a year. It is so encouraging, and it is so empowering to know that that can start online and then it can go into real life. [00:14:41][52.9]
[00:14:41] So again, if you want to learn more about my program or you already are an active subscriber in the app to sign up for the program itself. Sally that moment with julia.com, you can learn all about the program there. If you are an active monthly or annual subscriber, you can head over to Facebook and type in movement with Julie and there is a group in there. You'll need to request it. You'll need to make sure that you put in your full name and the email that you have for the app, and then our team will check it before they accept your request. But again, it is such an encouraging community, and I really want to encourage you to be a part of that. [00:15:14][32.4]
[00:15:14] And lastly, number five, this all or nothing thinking when you're in this all or nothing. And lastly, number five, all or nothing thinking you're all in or. You're not in at all, right? The second that you get off track, you decide that it's time to give up. Give in. Adopting this all or nothing mindset, this is going to mean that you view any slip up, any deviation from your plan as a failure and consequently you completely abandon your your resolutions or your goals entirely. [00:15:43][28.2]
[00:15:44] So I want to be extremely clear on this. Slip ups and deviations are not failures. They are a part of the journey. Nothing is perfect on this planet, including your journey, so you need to stop expecting for it to be perfect and allowing it to derail you. Long term. Perfection isn't the key. Consistency is always what we should be striving for. But you have to remember that consistency does not mean perfection. When you're trying to be perfect, you likely end up being inconsistent because perfection isn't realistic. But when you're trying to be consistent, you realize that you can be consistent in perfectly. And that's when you start to see amazing results. And this is why I always talk about how in perfect, consistent actions lead to big results over time because they compound. [00:16:32][48.1]
[00:16:33] So what is the fix? You have to embrace progress, not perfection. As cliche as it is. Again, focusing on progress over perfection will be a total game changer for you. Understand that? Occasional setbacks. That's a natural part of the journey. So instead of beating yourself up over a missed workout or an unhealthy meal, acknowledge the slip up, refocus on your goals, and get back on track. Remember that small setbacks do not ruin your overall progress. They only ruin your progress if you allow them too. If you give up, if you say, hey, you know I derailed, screw this, I'm giving up or I'm going to try again next month. It's this all or nothing mindset that is genuinely holding you back. [00:17:13][40.3]
[00:17:14] Okay, so let me quickly recap those five mistakes people make when setting New Year's resolutions. Mistake number one is setting unrealistic goals. So the fix to that is to really start small. Mistake number two is lack of clarity. The fix to that is making your goals very clear. Remember, the more clarity, the easier it is to track, the more you're likely going to stay on track with that, because you're very clear about what it is that you're trying to attain. Mistake number three is ignoring your why. The fix to that is finding your why again. Tuning in to episode 88, the five steps on how to find your why. This will be a total game changer for you. Again, the link will be in the show notes. Mistake number four is going solo. The fix for that is to really seek support and accountability. Asking people, hey, will you hold me accountable whether this is in person, with your significant other, with your family, or it's online? There are so many women inside the community group that have accountability partners on the side. You know, people say, hey, I'm a so-and-so. I'm a mom of three. I work out in the morning. I need an accountability partner post that in the Facebook group. I guarantee there's someone else that wants to be an accountability partner with you, and may be you the one being brave and asking. That's what's going to start that relationship. And lastly, mistake number five all or nothing thinking. The fix for this is to really embrace progress, not perfection. Remember that consistent imperfect action compounds and that's what leads to massive results. [00:18:41][87.5]
[00:18:42] So again, don't forget to join my movement with Julie Facebook group, which you gain access to when you are an active subscriber in the app. If you want to learn all about my program for my demo only workouts, you can go to sale. That's Sally that moment with julie.com. As of right now, the recording of this, we have a New Year sale going on. So you can check that out and you can either join monthly or annual. We have a huge annual sale going on right now. So if you are either brand new you can jump in annual or if you are an active describer, you can upgrade to annual. Right now at the time of this recording New Year sale. Again, if you really want to stick to your resolutions, though, you have to have a clear plan. You have to have a clear plan of action. What is it that I'm going to do? Don't overthink it. [00:19:27][45.6]
[00:19:28] You just need to show up. You need to follow the plan. And that's why I'm a huge advocate for a plan. So whether it's my plan that you're following somebody else's plan that you're following, when you have a plan, you literally just open it up, you follow it along, and it makes it so much more consistent and easier for you to stay consistent and actually stick to your resolutions. Actually stick to your goals. So again, if you want to learn more about my program sale, that's s-a-l-e dot movement with julie dot com set yourself up for success this year by signing up for it. I promise you're not. You won't regret it. Over 12,000 women in there that are crushing their workouts from all around the world. It is so encouraging, so empowering. Their demo only workouts. [00:20:07][39.8]
[00:20:08] So all you need is a few pair of dumbbells, a small space, your phone and that's genuinely it. I mean, if you have a bench, amazing. But I always give no bench alternates. I always give cable and band alternates. If you don't have access to those, whether it's dumbbell or bodyweight alternates. So very, very adaptive. All depending on your fitness level. Again that sale Sally dot movie julie.com. I hope that you found this helpful. I would love to hear your aha moments. Be sure to head over to Instagram and type in Embrace Your Real. Give it a follow. We're going to be posting on that account a lot more in the new year. So I'm so excited for that. So excited to engage with you over there. Also, if you want to follow my workout page, it's just movement with Julie on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook. You can find me everywhere over there, but that is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so much, I mean it. And I'll. [00:20:59][51.0]
[00:21:05] All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an a in the middle for that daily post workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it. [00:21:05][0.0]