6 Red Flags You're Setting a Resolution (Not Building a System)

Every year, people set goals for their fitness and health. Every year the vast majority fail to accomplish their goals. It's worse than that. The vast majority fail to even attempt to work toward their goals for more than 2 to 4 weeks.

We are a society bombarded with marketing focused on easy. This deeply affects the mindsets of all who consume the marketing. This transfers into all areas of life. We see everything through easy glasses. Real life isn't easy. All the cliches and sayings about life not being easy are around for a reason. Expectations versus reality for people are damaging not only to happiness but also to relationships and health.

Most people set goals based on emotions and things they have seen in ads. I have seen my own coaches accept these goals and write them down.

We need to clarify our goals, and once clarified, we need to build a system to move toward the target. We should always have a target to move toward. Always. Even time off should be directed at a target.

Every December, the fitness world gets ready for the same predictable cycle. Gyms will be packed in January. By February, they'll be empty again. The statistics are brutal: 80% of New Year's resolutions fail within six weeks.

But here's the thing, it's not about willpower. It's not about motivation. It's about the difference between setting a resolution and building a system.

A resolution is a wish. A system is a plan. Resolutions rely on feeling inspired. Systems work even when you don't feel like it. Resolutions are outcomes you hope for. Systems are processes you control.

This article is to help you identify when you are on the wrong track. These are all things I have seen and see daily. Read through these red flags and identify the ones that you are waving.

These six red flags will tell you if you're setting yourself up for failure, or building something that actually lasts.

Red Flag #1: Your Plan Requires Perfection

"I'm going to work out every single day in 2026."

"I'm cutting out all sugar, all alcohol, all processed food, starting January 1st."

"I'm doing two-a-days, meal prepping every Sunday, and getting eight hours of sleep every night."

If your plan has zero margin for error, you're building a resolution, not a system.

Here's the reality: Life happens. You'll get sick. You'll have to travel for work. Your kid will have a crisis. You'll have a terrible night of sleep and wake up exhausted. Your plan needs room for being human.

Systems account for imperfection. They have protocols for obstacle days. They define what "good enough" looks like when life gets messy.

A system says: "I train Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 6am. If I miss one, I make it up Saturday. If I'm sick, I rest. If I'm traveling, I do a 20-minute hotel room workout." That's sustainable. That's a system.

Perfection is not your goal. Consistency over time is your goal. And consistency requires permission to be imperfect.

Red Flag #2: You're Only Tracking Outcome Metrics

"I'm going to lose 30 pounds."

"I want to get a six-pack."

"I need to fit into my wedding dress."

Outcome goals aren't bad. But if they're the ONLY thing you're measuring, you're setting yourself up to quit before you see results.

Here's why: Outcomes lag behind behaviors. Your body composition changes slowly. The scale fluctuates daily based on water, stress, and hormones. Visual changes take months. If you're only measuring outcomes, you'll have weeks or months of feeling like you're failing, even when you're doing everything right.

Systems focus on process metrics first. These are the things you control 100%:

• Did I show up to the gym four times this week? (Yes or no, totally controllable)

• Did I complete my planned workouts? (Behavioral metric)

• Am I lifting more than I did last month? (Objective progress)

• Do I feel stronger, sleep better, have more energy? (Subjective but meaningful)

Track your behaviors. The outcomes will follow. But if you only track outcomes and ignore behaviors, you'll quit during the valley of disappointment, that frustrating period where you're doing everything right but not seeing visible results yet.

Systems celebrate process wins daily. Resolutions only celebrate outcome wins eventually (or never).

Red Flag #3: Your Plan Has No Specific Schedule

"I'm going to work out more in 2026."

"I'll start eating healthier."

"I'm going to be more consistent."

Vague intentions produce vague results. If your plan doesn't have specific days, times, and actions, it's not a plan; it's a wish.

Research on implementation intentions shows that specificity increases follow-through by 2- 3x. The difference between "I'll work out more" and "I train Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 6am at Progression Fitness" is the difference between failure and success.

Systems are built on clarity:

• What are you doing? (Strength class, not "exercise")

• When are you doing it? (Monday 6am, not "sometime this week")

• Where are you doing it? (Progression Fitness, not "probably the gym")

• How will you know you did it? (Calendar X, app log, coach check-in)

Your brain doesn't respond to "I should work out more." Your brain responds to "If it's Monday at 6am, then I'm at the gym."

The more specific your system, the less willpower required. Decisions drain energy. Systems eliminate decisions.

Red Flag #4: Your Plan Depends on Feeling Motivated

"I'll go to the gym when I feel like it."

"Once I get motivated, I'll start."

"I just need to find my inspiration again."

Here's the hard truth: Motivation is unreliable. It comes and goes. It's highest on January 1st and lowest on February 15th when it's cold, dark, and you've had a long day at work.

If your plan only works when you're motivated, your plan doesn't work.

Systems are motivation-neutral. They operate regardless of how you feel. You brush your teeth even when you don't feel like it. You go to work even when you don't feel like it. Your training system needs to be equally non-negotiable.

Discipline isn't about feeling motivated. Discipline is about having a system that removes the need for motivation.

This is why scheduled classes work so well. The decision is already made. The time is blocked. People are expecting you. The coach is ready. You just show up. Motivation is optional.

Action creates motivation, not the other way around. You don't wait until you feel like training. You train, and then you feel good about it.

Red Flag #5: You Have No Plan for Obstacles

What happens when you're traveling for work?

What happens when you get sick?

What happens when you have a bad night of sleep?

What happens when your schedule changes unexpectedly?

If your answer is "I guess I'll skip it and get back on track next week," you don't have a system. You have a resolution that's about to break.

Systems have protocols for obstacles:

• Travel protocol: 20-minute hotel room workout, or find a local gym, or do bodyweight circuits

• Sickness protocol: Rest if feverish, light movement if just tired, walk if recovering

• Schedule chaos protocol: Minimum viable workout (15 minutes is better than nothing)

• Injury protocol: Work around it, modify movements, maintain attendance habit

The obstacle isn't the problem. The lack of a plan for the obstacle is the problem.

Your system needs if-then statements for common disruptions. When you have protocols, obstacles become minor inconveniences instead of system failures.

Red Flag #6: You Think in All-or-Nothing Terms

"I missed Monday's workout, so I guess this week is already ruined."

"I had pizza for dinner, so my diet is over."

"I can't do the full workout, so there's no point in going."

All-or-nothing thinking is the silent killer of fitness goals. It turns minor setbacks into complete failures. It makes one missed workout spiral into a month of inactivity.

Systems embrace the 80% rule. If you hit 80% of your planned workouts over 12 weeks, you win. That's 10 out of 12 workouts per month. That's room for life, sickness, travel, and being human.

A 30-minute workout beats a zero-minute workout. Every. Single. Time.

A "bad" workout where you showed up tired and did half the work? Still a win for your system. You reinforced your identity. You maintained momentum. You proved to yourself that you show up even on hard days.

Perfect is the enemy of consistent. And consistent is what actually changes your life.

The Self-Audit

Be honest with yourself. How many of these red flags apply to your current plan?

0-1 red flags: You're building a system. Keep going.

2-3 red flags: You're in the danger zone. Time to redesign.

4-6 red flags: You're setting a resolution, not building a system. It's going to fail.

The good news? You still have time to fix it. December is the perfect month to build your system before the January chaos hits.

What a Real System Looks Like

Let's take someone with all six red flags and turn them into a system:

Resolution version: "I'm going to work out every day, lose 30 pounds, eat clean, and finally get in shape in 2026."

System version: "I train Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 6am at Progression Fitness. I track attendance and strength progress in my app. If I miss a workout, I make it up within 48 hours. If I'm traveling, I do a 20-minute hotel workout. If I'm exhausted, I show up and do 30 minutes. My goal is 80% attendance over 12 weeks. Everything else is bonus."

See the difference?

The system has specificity. It has flexibility. It has obstacle protocols. It measures behaviors. It allows imperfection. It doesn't depend on motivation.

That's why systems work when resolutions fail.

Start Building Your System This Week

Don't wait for January 1st. That arbitrary date has no power except the power you give it.

Start this week:

1. Pick your specific days and times (3-4 workouts per week)

2. Define your minimum viable workout (What counts when life is chaos?)

3. Write your obstacle protocols (Travel? Sickness? Schedule change?)

4. Choose process metrics to track (Attendance, strength, energy, consistency)

5. Give yourself the 80% rule (10 out of 12 workouts = success)

Build your system in December. By January 1st, you won't be starting, you'll be continuing. By February 1st, when 80% of resolutions have failed, you'll be hitting your stride.

The gym regulars you see every week aren't more disciplined than you. They just built better systems.

Now it's your turn.

Ready to build a system that actually works? Visit Progression Fitness to meet with a coach.