It’s been one week since the excitement of the New Year. This year more than ever we hope 2021 will allow us to turn the page and have a fresh start.

But like every year, after only one week, many of us are already not pushing through their resolution. The one week mark is when the mind and body starts getting a bit tired and the call to getting back to our normal routine is starting being felt.

But rather than just quitting, here are some things you can try to continue your resolution for the long term.

Reassess the intensity

When starting the year all fresh, it’s easy to overestimate our capacity. It’s most likely going to take us one or two month to get comfortable in our new routine. So see if it would make sense for you to reduce the intensity and frequency of your new habit.

For example, if you start running and planned running 5km 3 times per week, maybe you could reduce to 2times per week. Maybe alternating 2km run and 5km run. And why not even do once a week? It will always be better than nothing at all, and it will build your body and strength so that later you can increase again the intensity and frequency.

Find someone to join

It’s boring doing new stuff alone. We don’t know where to start, we are pretty sure we are doing it wrong, and if we don’t follow through nothing is going to push us to keep going.

Try to see if you have some friends who’d be interesting to join you. You’ll see we all tend to do the same mistakes when we start. And you can share your different experimental solutions. You can also check if you have a local club or association that is focused on what you are trying to achieve.

Make it fun

Your resolution should not be a chore. If you go at it saying “oh no, I need to do that thing again” you won’t last long. So try changing the frame. Make yourself comfortable, go to a nicer place.

Again, make it simple. Your new habit should not be so difficult as you avoid it to avoid the discomfort. Start with one, one thing of whatever you are trying to achieve: one minute of running, one pushup, one word in your diary. Keep repeating that one thing until you naturally get more comfortable with it.

Don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back each time you do your thing. Every step forwards is a success, whatever the size of the step. On when you manage to do a bigger step, celebrate it! Really! Jump in the air, scream, and give yourself a little treat. Enjoy the moment, because however big or small the progress, you are getting closer to being the person you want to become.