By Charles Smitherman
January 24th is known as Quitters Day – a point when a majority of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. While an Apple Watch ad recently highlighted this trend, my gym didn’t seem to get the memo – it was still packed. In the ad, Apple sells the watch and its range of fitness features as a way to stay on track, and it can be effective, from telling you daily calories burned and minutes exercised compared to daily goals, as well as beeping at you all day to stand up and reminding you to breath. I love my Apple Watch, but there is a simpler way to stay committed to your resolutions or health and fitness goals.
In my previous article, I discussed embracing the Kaizen philosophy – making small, continuous improvements – to achieve your goals. Building upon that foundation, another effective strategy to maintain motivation and accountability is the use of commitment devices.
A commitment device is a self-imposed promise that binds you to a course of action. It aligns small daily actions – like a 10-minute walk or a healthy meal – with long-term goals, such as running a race or maintaining overall health. Commitments can be private, such as pledging to a personal fine if you skip a workout, or you can make your fitness goals public to leverage social accountability. Research in behavioral psychology – remember Freakonomics – indicates that commitment devices can enhance adherence to your health-related goals and behaviors, including weight loss and exercise routines.
Integrating commitment devices with the Kaizen approach can lead to sustainable progress. By setting small, manageable goals and reinforcing them with commitment mechanisms, you create a structured path toward improvement. For example, committing to a daily 10-minute walk and sharing this goal with a friend – or on Facebook/MySpace/Instatok – can increase your accountability and motivation.
Public commitments can be especially powerful. Sharing your goals with others increases accountability because the desire to maintain your reputation encourages follow-through. In the past, I would announce big races on social media, and that public declaration helped keep me accountable. More recently, after making all my fitness goals public to you all in my last article, I’ve already felt the pull to go for a swim or to the gym on days when I might have skipped.
Additionally, incorporating tools like fitness trackers – like the Apple Watch I told you that you did not need – can serve as modern commitment devices, providing real-time feedback and reminders to keep you on track.
By combining Kaizen’s small, incremental improvements with the accountability of commitment devices, you create a sustainable strategy for achieving your health and fitness goals. This approach not only fosters discipline but also makes the journey toward better health more exciting and attainable – helping you stay on track long after Quitter’s Day has passed.
