Happy New Year!
Fitness goals are notoriously made to be broken, with a report by Live Rugby Tickets revealing that seven out of 10 (70%) give up on their New Year’s resolution after a month or less.
The report also found that over half of Brits name exercise, improving health and losing weight as their top New Year’s resolutions for 2024.
Key Findings:
- Half of respondents plan to exercise more in the new year, with 43% hoping to improve their general health or lose weight.
- Over two thirds (70%) of Brits give up on their resolution after a month or less, with one in seven (13%) giving up after just one week.
- One in twelve Brits (8%) give up on their fitness goal after one or two days.
Whilst half (50%) of survey respondents’ top goal was to exercise more, only one in ten (10%) of those stuck to their new health habits for six months or more.
When asked about their top ways to ensure these goals are stuck to, 28% answered tracking progress helped them remain on course, 27% recommended planning ahead with their goals and 21% said being realistic helped them keep to their goals.
One in six (15%) respondents’ also recommended rewarding yourself to stay on track.
According to Sarah Bolitho, Behaviour Change Specialist, who spoke with Live Rugby Tickets following their findings, there are THREE common mistakes made by Brits when pursuing their fitness goals:
1. Setting superficial goals
“They have set a superficial goal, but have not thought about the deeper benefits or gains from it. For example, setting the goal of losing a stone. The end goal is there, however when you dig deeper and ask why you’ve set that goal in the first place – there may be a poor understanding of the health benefits such as being able to run again, relieving pressure on joints, or reducing blood pressure. A better understanding of why you’ve set these goals is more likely to keep you on track.”
2. Poor planning
“While the outcome goal has been set, the actual steps to achieve this successfully are not planned out properly. If the goal is to be able to run a marathon, you won’t be able to achieve this overnight. You need to plan out each individual step to suit and aid you in your end goal, such as: getting the right running shoes, learning about nutrition and hydration, starting with a 100, 200 metre run, or getting a running buddy.”
3. Setting expectations too high
“They don’t begin their goals from where they currently are in terms of knowledge or ability, instead they jump ahead and expect to succeed instantly. You need to focus on the journey, rather than jumping ahead to the outcome.
“A weight loss aim may start with ‘eating healthier’, but break that down and start small – swap one bag of crisps for an apple this week, next week swap a can of pop for a glass of water. Simple changes will be gradually absorbed into your life and build confidence you need to accomplish bigger aims.
“Finally, I always advise my clients to start right now, not tomorrow, not next month, or even on the 1st of January. Do so now. If they aren’t ready to start today, then the likelihood is that they don’t really want the goal.”
Live Rugby Tickets also spoke with Scott Harrison, Fitness & Nutrition Expert, who provided his top tips for those struggling to meet fitness goals:
“Always start small – something like 20 minutes of exercise 3 times a week is absolutely fine for a beginner. Then gradually increase intensity and time”.
“Make sure you set day-to-day achievable goals, and structure a plan that gets the job done early in the day if you can so you are less likely to procrastinate. Make sure you take part in exercise you enjoy, so you’ll be more likely to want to do it every time”.
“Establish a routine, stay consistent, and don’t be too hard on yourself if there are setbacks. There is no straight line to the top and nor should there be.”
Methodology
1. Live Rugby Tickets surveyed 2,000 people to find out Britain’s most popular New Year’s resolutions.
2. The study determined the number of Brits who will give up their new year’s fitness resolution.
3. Data for the following cities was found to have below 40 respondents: Cardiff, Coventry, Bournemouth and Poole, Edinburgh, Middlesbrough, Reading, Stoke-on-Trent and Sunderland.
4. In relation to gender statistics, there were fewer respondents in the ‘other’ category, therefore, it has not been included in the release.
5. Survey was conducted in November 2023 and data is accurate as of then.
