So you’ve got some brand new resolutions…now what? Most people beginning this journey, or restarting, will go really hard this first month of the New Year. They’ll hit the gym maybe every day, cut out all the foods they really enjoy and quickly fizzle out come February, maybe even when Super Bowl Sunday hits. Maybe they have already fizzled out. Not because they weren’t committed. Because they took on way too many drastic changes at one time. For even the novice fitness enthusiast that would be too much to handle.
So how does one meet their New Year goals, you might ask? Well, you probably won’t care for the answer very much, but slow, consistent and achievable changes in lifestyle is key. Most people will go about hitting those goals all wrong. It’s not the one who starts the strongest that will finish this race. It’s the one who takes their time, writes out their goals and plans out their journey. So here are a few tips for you on this new journey.
Write down your goals, then re-write them – breaking down each goal into a smaller more obtainable goal. For example, your goal is to lose 20 pounds. When would you like to lose that weight by, 12 weeks from now? So you now have a weekly goal of losing 1.6 pounds (20/12=1.6666666677 you get the point). Now that sounds like a reasonable goal!
Write down all the “bad habits” you would like to break, then pick one. Focusing on more than one bad habit at a time is a good way to overwhelm yourself. For example, you want to cut out sodas, beer and chips and salsa. Start with sodas and try to find a diet option you enjoy, I really like Coke Zero. Once you have gone 30 days or so without you can begin to focus on the next item on your list.
Got a goal to start exercising? Awesome, start with one or two workouts a week. You can add in more workout days as you get the hang of it. In between those days find an activity you really enjoy doing. You don’t have to go beast mode, just get moving! Watch your tv shows as you stand up and fold laundry. Every little movement counts, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther away, you get the point.
Start paying attention to food labels. The greatest thing you can do for yourself is learn what those labels mean. Many are very misleading and the real information is on that back nutrition panel. Try to look at every label before you decide to buy; you might find you really don’t want that food item after all!
Strive to eat better MOST of the time. Plan out meals so you are accountable to yourself. Aim to cook some of those meals from scratch and stay away from packaged meals that claim to be "healthy". If you eat better even just 15-20 percent more than usual you’ll see changes.
Lastly, give yourself some slack. We don’t magically gain weight, even though it may seem like it. We gain weight over time and bad choices and it will take time and some reprogramming to lose it. Nutrition is key in this process and exercise will help you to sculpt your body into those goals. But realize bad habits take time to break and none of this will happen overnight!
If you find yourself overwhelmed by all of this then find a professional, like myself, we’re here to help! Actually for many of us, it’s our passion. <3