How to achieve your new year’s resolution – the science-based approach

By Corra
A man in a turban, tunic and trousers is riding a folding bike around an obstacle course. There are two men in the background watching him and another on a bike waiting to have a go
Offering skills sessions through behaviour change programmes such as Big Bike Revival helps give people the capability to cycle
Have set yourself a goal of cycling more this year? We all know that sticking to your resolutions can be hard, but Cycling UK’s head of monitoring and evaluation Corra Boushel has the science to help you build new good habits

As anyone who has tried to stop smoking, do more exercise or stick to a diet plan can tell you, changing our behaviour can be hard. Many of us start the new year with good intentions, only to find that we struggle to keep up the momentum.

Sometimes there are elements outside of a person’s control that make it challenging, other times a combination of factors make it difficult to do something differently. Understanding the theory behind behaviour change can help you identify friction points and help you think more strategically about how to keep those resolutions going.

Cycling UK’s work on behaviour change is aimed at helping more people to start cycling, to swap short car journeys for bike journeys and to make cycling accessible to a wider range of people. We work with more than 100,000 people each year, and the theory we apply is simple, effective and applicable to a wide range of situations –including your new year resolutions.

The starting point

The good news is that in theoretical terms, you are already at the contemplation and planning stages of your ‘transtheoretical’ journey. This is a fancy way of saying that to create change, people go through a process from thinking, to doing, to embedding that change.

You are thinking about what you want to change, and putting specific plans in place to make it possible will help to make sure it happens. Some people will have already started the action.

The model, from DiClemente and Prochaska, lays out this journey, and reminds us that thinking about change is a crucial first step, but also that starting the change isn’t the same as embedding it as a new habit. Paying attention to how you will maintain your resolution in order for it to become automatic, or at least easier for you to continue, is also important.

A group of people on a variety of cycles including trikes are cycling across a bridge
Offering a selection of cycles for loan means people can find what works for them. Photo: Paul Campbell

To help get a new behaviour started and maintain it into the future, a second theory is useful. The COM-B model was developed by Susan Mitchie and colleagues to help understand and influence people’s behaviour. The simple approach makes it practical and easily applicable, based on psychological research and evidence.

What is COM-B?

COM-B stands for capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour. It recognises that a range of elements interact in determining what we do or do not manage to change about our behaviour, with one or more element needing to change to make it possible for behaviour to shift.

Capability

The psychological and physical ability to perform the behaviour. In the case of our programmes like the Big Bike Revival and Connecting Communities, this can be as simple as ensuring individuals know how to ride a bike.

We not only address participants’ physical riding capabilities, but also look at any fears or self-confidence challenges that might be holding someone back from cycling. Do you have all the skills you need to feel confident about your newfound resolution (physical capability)?

If it’s a diet change, do you need new recipe ideas? If it’s cycling longer routes, are you worried about puncture repair that maybe some YouTube or a local class could help overcome? Are you more nervous than you realised about joining a new group or class (psychological capability) and maybe going to a beginner version would help build your confidence?

Opportunity

This looks to address factors that are external to an individual. It can include changing the environment and access to a cycle, thinking about the social norms and culture that might be getting in the way of cycling.

A group of people in club kit are riding along a quiet country road with a dry stone wall and fields in the background
Riding as part of a group can give accountability for your new resolution. Photo: Joolze Dymond

In our programmes, this looks like bike loans through projects such as Making cycling e-asier and providing bikes through local organisations with the Cycle Access Fund. These can give people the chance to try a cycle over several weeks and get a feel for how it would suit them.

It also means working within communities, thinking about role modelling, normalising cycling and helping individuals build relationships with others who will support them to cycle more.

For your resolutions, is a lack of time (opportunity) rather than willpower the real issue? Are friends and family as supportive as they could be? Perhaps you could ask them for help with encouragement or connect more with people who will be supportive of your new plans.

Finding an online or in-person community of like-minded people (social norms and culture) might help you realise you’re not the only person interested in the activity.

Motivation

Motivation includes goal setting, plans and the automatic processes that involve emotion and habit. Hosting regular bike rides through our Community Cycle Clubs means participants build their cycling into their weekly routine.

We promote cycling as something fun and enjoyable, talking about the mental health benefits and physical wellbeing that comes from riding to help people build positive emotional connections that will motivate them to continue cycling.

A group of people are riding along a path. They are on a variety of different bikes. Some are wearing hi-vis, they're mostly wearing normal clothes.
Led bike rides with a Community Cycle Club helps people build activity into their routines. Photo: Sam Jones

If habit forming is the issue for you, you can try setting a reminder on your phone, laying out kit the night before, committing to new behaviours with a buddy or tying it into an existing routine in your day or week.

Thinking about cues or reminders to make sure you don’t forget about your new habit, having someone else to hold you accountable or making it a smooth part of the week can all overcome the friction of change.

How does this help me with my resolution?

As the theory shows, there are different barriers to changing a behaviour. Everyone will face a different combination, depending on what behaviour you are trying to change and your personal circumstances. What we do in our programmes is make sure we understand which elements are missing or weaker for individuals and communities and prioritise accordingly.

Similarly, you can think more carefully about which elements might cause you friction in achieving your resolution. Being honest with yourself and sitting down with the COM-B model might help you to understand where the barriers to achieving your goals really lie, which will put you in a better position to fix them.

Picking the right solutions will help you to increase your chances of sticking to your resolution.

Connecting Communities Big Bike Revival Community Cycle Clubs Cycle Access Fund Making cycling e-asier

Further reading