A study that followed people to see how long they stuck with their New Year's fitness resolutions has found underlying motivation was a significant factor when it came to adhering to goals.
Edith Cowan University professor of psychology Joanne Dickson, who was the lead researcher on the study, said it also found tenacity and the ability to adapt in the face of difficulties weren't big factors in whether or not people stuck to their goals.
"We thought those two motivational mechanisms would actually help people stick to their resolutions, but it wasn't the case," Professor Dickson told Ivo da Silva on ABC Radio Perth.
"What we found favourable is what we call intrinsic motives or those motives that are freely chosen and personally meaningful, or give us a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction.
"In the long term, they're really good for sticking with your exercise."
Most common resolutions
Professor Dickson said the study looked at exercise resolutions because they were the most common kind that people reported setting for themselves.
The study recruited 297 participants and sent them an initial survey where they were asked to list what they saw as their most important exercise resolution.
"Most people, about 60 per cent, reported that they either had the same or very similar exercise resolution in the previous year, which seems to suggest people like to reboot resolutions," Professor Dickson said.
"Then we asked them how committed they felt they were to sticking with this resolution, and how important it was to them.
"What we found was that most people reported they were highly committed, and they believed their exercise resolution was very important."
The study then followed up with the participants three times in the following two months to see how they went.
"Consistent with a lot of other research, we found that just under two thirds of people had given up within the month, and 38 per cent were still sticking with the exercise resolution," she said.
Finding motivation
The study then looked at the motivating factors participants had reported and found intrinsic motivation was the most decisive factor.
"Intrinsic motives are motives where the activity is freely chosen and personally meaningful or give us a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction," Professor Dickson said.
While tenacity and the ability to be flexible and adapt in the face of obstacles were associated with good mental health outcomes, they weren't associated with adherence to resolutions.
By contrast, extrinsic motivation that came from external factors was associated with negative mental health outcomes and also didn't help people stick to their goals.
"Extrinsic motives are when you might pursue a resolution because the situation demands it or other people expected it of you, or you're trying to meet someone else's approval," she said.
"If you're doing it because you feel pressured by your partner to lose weight, or where you feel pressured by media images of what you should look like, it's that external pressure.
"I've found that extrinsic motives give rise to things like anxiety and stress; it's just detrimental to your mental health."
Setting goals in holiday mode
Professor Dickson said the study suggested it might be worth thinking a bit harder about resolutions, or even waiting until returning to work and the daily grind before setting targets.
She said the key message was to look at the reason why you wanted to stick with the resolution in the first place.
"That's going to assist in sticking with your resolutions longer this year," she said.
She the Christmas/New Year break might not be the best time to set realistic objectives.
She questioned whether or not people were being overly optimistic when in holiday mode.
"Then work kicks in and other demands and other pressing commitments might take over," she said.
She also suggested goals with some flexibility or space to adapt to changing circumstances might be helpful.
"Rather than saying I'm going to walk 10,000 steps a day, maybe just say, 'Well, I'm going to walk and just see how far I can go'."
