Why New Year resolutions fail and what you need to succeed.

It’s the New Year: you’re opening your brand new planner, setting goals and perhaps feeling like you need a bit of a reset after the holidays. A New Year is a great opportunity to think about what you would do differently, maybe making health more of a priority?

Why 80% of resolution fail by February?

New Year resolutions get a really bad wrap. Some say they’re useless, some are all about setting up goals. Personally, I love creating a yearly vision and setting intentions to act on.

Sadly, 80% of resolution will fail by February. It’s often because most of us create big goals that are not very clear, without thinking of a step by step way to achieve them. As a coach, I use each and every conversation to hype up a goal with motivation. Strong motivation is a must-have ingredient in the recipe for success.

I think it’s also because many of us rely on one, very limited resource: willpower. Willpower is useful in the moment when trying to resist temptation to fall back to an old pattern. Personally, I am a believer in supportive environment. For example, as I am preparing for my paleo reset, I didn’t restock on butter and my pantry is free of chocolate, because it’s easier to resist a moment of weakness when the forbidden fruit is not available. The darling writer about habit formation, James Clear, even goes as far as to say that the right environment overrides motivation when it comes to creating new behaviors.

According to Joseph Luciani, PhD, author and psychologists, people fail to keep their New Year resolutions because they are not using these 5 tips:

·       break down goals in smaller achievable steps,

·       build self-trust with small wins,

·       create small challenges for yourself,

·       focus on the positive and

·       develop awareness.

Can you imagine doing all of that by yourself and keeping track? How about staying accountable? What it comes down to is that most of us lack the tools to succeed.

What people need to keep their resolutions is…. A health coach!

These 5 tips describe what coaching is all about! All of these tools are built in the framework I use in my coaching conversation. Plus, when working with a coach you’re not alone to figure it out. You get support, and accountability.

What is health coaching?

Health coaching is scientifically-validated approach to greater health and well-being that uses specific tools that have been shown to lead to lasting change (such as tips mentioned above).

A health coach is a toolset for you to change your ways and create new habits that lead to greater wellbeing.

Through support and guidance, a health coach uses personal development techniques so that instead of fixing your problems, you outgrow them. The foundation for successful conversations is a non-judgmental space in which the patient is the expert and leads the conversation.

How efficient is health coaching?

Clinical studies are constantly evaluating the efficacy of health coaching. Here are some of the findings:

- health coaching is more effective in reducing cholesterol than standard care,

- a study on smoking cessation found that 32% of people who had a health coach quit smoking compared to just 18% of people without health coaches,

- A study in the Journal of Reproductive Biomedicine Online found that health coaching resulted in increased rates of conception in both fertile couples and those who had been previously diagnosed as infertile.

Coaching is the fastest way to achieve your goals. Working with a health coach makes you more likely to reach and exceed your target. It will save you time, effort and frustration. It might save you money too by taking full advantage of that gym membership, taking less days off from work for health-related reasons, and achieve more in less time.

What are the cost and commitment?

Cost and commitment vary depending on the coach’s credentials, training, experience and service provided. It is common for coaches to ask for a 12 weeks commitment. This 3-month period offers enough time to see new behavior unfold.

In my experience, I have also observed that the clients who commit to meet weekly are better able to leverage the full momentum and accountability of coaching.

How can you find the right coach for you?

Health coaching being a new profession in the health care landscape, there are unfortunately many people calling themselves coaches with little to no training. So be on the lookout for certifications.

Next, you can find coaches who specialize in health conditions or health goals. Use the content they create and free resources they have to evaluate how good of a fit one coach might be for you. For example, I specialize in longevity. I help wealth-builders extend their healthy years with science-based lifestyle modifications. If you’re a mother in post-partum or someone dealing with auto-immunity, I’m not the right fit.

Most coaches offer a first consult for free. If you’re thinking about working with a coach, I would highly recommend that you go on a call with a few people you have a good feeling about.

The bottom line.

Health coaching has strong evidence of effectiveness for improving health and well-being. A coach provides tools, support and accounting that are necessary to stick to goals, whether New Year resolutions or any other goal.

Learn more about Jihane and her services at www.drjihanefarrell.com

Maybe I can help? Let’s boost your motivation, talk about your why and help you create the strategies you need to achieve your goals. Book your free discovery call.