[Newsletter] The Smartest Coach in the Room

An argument for New Year’s resolutions Every Saturday, The Smartest Coach in the Room delivers helpful takeaways on the hottest nutrition and health topics and the world’s most effective coaching techniques. (Did some amazing friend forward this to you? [Subscribe here]( You know most New Year’s resolutions fail, right? (Gosh, ruin the party vibe…) But you’ve probably heard that oft-cited statistic: 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by mid-February. [A person attempting a jump on skis and wiping out as they try to land.] Starting off strong aaannd—oh no. HOWEVER, did you know that stat comes from a relatively small (200 people) and pretty old (from the 80s) study? And also, that a big chunk of the population studied were trying to quit smoking (notoriously one of the hardest behaviors to change)? More recent research is a bit more optimistic. Especially when it comes to using the power of a significant date, like the first of a ✨shiny new year✨. For example, a 2002 study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology compared people who made New Year’s resolutions with those who didn’t. The resolution-makers had considerably higher rates of success with their goal than non-resolvers: At six months, 46 percent of the resolvers were sticking to their resolution, compared to 4 percent of the non-resolvers. (Takeaway: You’re probably better off making a resolution than not.) Don’t knock that “fresh start” feeling. Temporal landmarks—like January 1, birthdays, or the first day of spring—help create a psychological delineation between your “old self,” and your “new self.” In the mind, the “old self” (glued to the couch) expires December 31. The new self (who runs!) begins January 1. Of course, there’s no magical transformation that happens the moment a new calendar day dawns. But human psychology is a funny thing, and this separation of self enables us to release ourselves from our past “failures,” and believe that a different way forward is possible. That belief is critical for behavior change (so probably worth embracing). A few more tips to make new habits stick… Pulled from research as well as our experience coaching over 100,000 clients, here are some more ideas to make habit change work. 🧩 Start small. Often, smaller habits are easier to ingrain than bigger ones. Consider the difference between drinking more water and starting an exercise routine. With the water habit, you just have to pour yourself a glass of water a few more times a day. With the gym habit, you have to block time off in your schedule, get changed, go to the gym, figure out what you’re going to do at the gym, do the actual exercise, shower and change again… it’s a lot. People often dismiss how many little habits are baked into bigger habits, leaving them unprepared—and inevitably defeated—when they actually try to execute them. One solution: Break down goals into small daily actions. This allows clients to gain confidence, positive momentum, and build progressive skills over time. To figure out how to do this, check out this free worksheet: [From Goal to Action]( 🤏🏾 Shrink the timeline. Feeling like, as of January 1st, 2024, you have to EAT HEALTHY FOREVER can be pretty intimidating. It can also lead to scarcity-motivated impulses like eating as much as you can in December because, hoo boy, it’s your last chance. One solution: Frame changes as short-term “challenges.” Try a new behavior—like eating slowly, getting 5 servings of veggies daily, or walking 7K steps/day—for two weeks to a month. At the end of the timeframe, get curious and honest about what worked and what didn’t. Was it so easy you’re ready to advance? Or, was it unsustainable and needs to be scaled back? Even if your client doesn’t stick with the habit long term, they almost always improve or at least learn something from the experiment. 👵🏼 Pretend it’s forever. Okay, what? Sounds like a total contradiction to the above, right? And it sort of is, but clients are unique so different strategies will work for different people. Let’s say your client resolves to start exercising. Ask them: “What would you have to do to continue this habit in some way, no matter what, forever?” Then, go through a few challenging scenarios. For example, what if… … Your day gets super busy? … You get injured? … Your car is snowed-in / the sidewalks aren’t plowed? … You get stuck in an elevator? … You’re 101 years old? Some of those examples are extreme. However, it’s worth conducting some thought experiments to see what kinds of ideas your client might come up with to help themselves sustain their habit for the long haul. They might realize that they’ll have to lower their standards a lot of the time (which is okay)—but also that there are workarounds for nearly every obstacle. Behavior change is hard—and endlessly fascinating. If you’re passionate about helping people make positive changes to their health, you might love our [Level 1 Nutrition Coaching Certification](. It combines the science of nutrition along with the art of coaching—so you can learn which habits are worth adopting, and help people actually sustain them. [Become a Certified Nutrition Coach - Join the presale list for the #1 rated PN Level 1 Nutrition Certification]( Take care, Alex :) --------------------------------------------------------------- Alex Picot-Annand, PN2, Holistic Nutritionist Editorial Director Precision Nutrition Home of the world’s top nutrition coaches --------------------------------------------------------------- What did you think of this email? 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