A new year often brings desires to take on healthier habits and perhaps increase your fitness or lose a little weight. While I’m a firm believer that a new year does not require a new you (at least, physically) introducing new habits that improve your quality of life is a positive move at any time of the year.
What the CSIRO wants to focus on in 2021, however, is the mindset we take into our new health and fitness goals.
The research agency has released a newly-developed tool – the Start Strong Diet Quiz – and it’s designed to assess “participants’ values and readiness for change”.
What is the CSIRO’s weight loss quiz about?
This new quiz looks at what it is that motivates people to adopt new health habits, “including if they are more motivated to change their diet, increase their exercise or monitor their measurements,” the CSIRO has shared in a statement on the launch.
In a nutshell, by asking questions about why you want to lose weight or start exercising, the CSIRO can then offer you personalised tips that are intended to help you stay motivated and committed to your health and diet goals for longer.
More than that, however, taking the quiz also gives you an opportunity to stop and consider precisely why you want to get that 2021 rig. Are your sources of motivation positive? Or are they worth some deeper thought?
CSIRO behavioural scientist, Dr Emily Brindal shared in a statement that this tailor-made approach to weight loss is a particularly effective way to keep commitment levels high. Specifically, she pointed to the practice of tying new health habits to the things you care deeply about and enjoy – like quality time with family or entertainment (pop Netflix on in the background!) – as an effective hack for sticking to your goals.
“‘New year, new me’ resolutions can often be spur-of-the-moment, and we all know that, despite best intentions, motivation levels often drop as challenges present,” Dr Brindal said.
“The Start Strong Diet Quiz has been developed to help Australians take stock of their mindset, and provide prompts to boost their motivation for diet and exercise, ensuring they can enter their weight loss program with the key information they need when losing weight and improving their health in 2021.”
Check out the quiz here, and take a moment to figure out what’s driving your health and fitness goals this year.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.