We love good resolutions. 80% of French people admit to challenging themselves on January 1st. But these New Year’s commitments generally have a short life: 80% (again) of resolutions are cowardly abandoned even before February. So how to do ?
It seems that the transition to the new year gives us the opportunity to be “reborn”. After the two extraordinary years that we have experienced (the American magazine Time had even titled that 2020 was “ the worst year in history“), we all need it!
The top-3 of good resolutions
In 2021, a survey* shed light on the hopes and ambitions of our compatriots for a new year, and it is very instructive.
If doing more sport (51%) and eating a balanced diet to lose weight (38%) continue to occupy the first two places in the list of things to improve, the priorities of the French have evolved since the pandemic and the episodes of confinement.
The will to sleep better or of spend more time with loved ones now comes after that of travel more (29%) or even change of professional situation. Some good resolutions like quitting drinking have almost disappeared from the radar.
To encourage you to evolve smoothly, we offer you this free guide which offers you 22 simple ideas to improve your lifestyle habits and take care of yourself.
You are the most important person in YOUR life, right? This free 30-page guide is the perfect companion to start the year 2022 off right!
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Nothing radical (we know that “good resolutions” have a ridiculous success rate), just suggestions to calmly focus on your form, your health and your quality of life. Without pressure, just to pay (a little more) attention to yourself.
Small steps to take care of yourself
All the small steps that we offer are relatively modest. But if you put them in place gradually, at your own pace, throughout the year, you can become a new person.
The one that will be closer to the ideal image you have of yourself. It’s worth it, right ?
Doing more sport, losing 10 kilos or quitting smoking, these are the resolutions that French women and men are used to making at the beginning of the year, in that order**. Oh yes, 80% of our fellow citizens admit to challenging themselves on January 1st.
But these New Year’s “good resolutions” generally have a short life: 80% (again) of resolutions are cowardly abandoned even before February.
In addition to the three major resolutions mentioned, the desire to sleep more now ranks in the top-5, while the decision to drink less alcohol comes far behind with only 7% of people concerned.
Why good resolutions fail
Good resolutions fail because they are often too vague or, conversely, too ambitious.
Undertake several major changes at the same time important and radical in life at the same time (running a marathon, improving your sleep, stopping sugar, losing 15 kg, creating your own business…), it’s far too much.
If these “good resolutions” do not work, how can we hope to boost our health capital to live in better shape in the coming months?
What if we instead tried a series of small changesless restrictive and easier to preserve over time?
In our 2022 guide, we submit a series of health actions that can fit in easily to your usual way of life.
These small changes don’t seem like much but, chained together, they will have real impacts on your life. Better, they will be favorable to your well-being.
No need to make big resolutions this year to take charge of your healthjust take these small steps and you will slowly move towards a better quality of life.
How to stay the course?
Before adopting these health actions that will have a significant impact on your life this year, you must first transform them into concrete and measurable objectives.
For example, if you decide to “eat more balanced”, it seems concrete to you at first, but is it really “measurable”? What does it correspond to concretely in your eyes?
Are you going:
- Buy a nutritionist’s book to follow his food program?
- Make an appointment every month with a dietitian?
- Bringing a healthy lunch to work every day instead of going to the canteen?
- Force yourself to consume the five “regulatory” portions of fruits and vegetables?
- Stop having a sweet dessert at every meal?
- Cooking yourself every evening?
- Stop buying ultra-processed frozen meals?
Yes, what does “eating more balanced” mean to you?
The first health gesture to respect is therefore to clearly define the end goal (there may be several), but also the different ways to get there and how to measure the results.
For example, you can make a list of good eating habits and give yourself a point each time you respect one. The objective is then to see if your total points progress over the weeks and months.
This type of device will help ensure that you stay on course towards the goal throughout the year.
* BuzzPress France survey for Gymlib with 10,602 French people (December 2020)
** Annual health record barometer produced by Odoxa for the MNH, France Info and Le Figaro Santé (December 2019).
