In theory, a Health or Fitness resolution is a great idea (Think January!!) to re-evaluate and make changes in your health, fitness and lifestyle. In practice, many ambitious fitness goals made dissolve into self-defeating thinking and disappointment. But that doesn’t mean that all need to end in frustration and failure. The trick is making the right ones.
Before you can even get that far, you need to take a long, hard look at where you currently stand in terms of your health goals. Honestly acknowledge where you are currently in terms of your health and fitness level, so often people establish goals without being realistic about where they are starting from. Even if perhaps your current level of fitness is not where you want it to be, being honest with yourself about where you are presently and using that information as a baseline from which to work will help you to establish realistic, attainable goals for the new you. How many times can you exercise? for how long? Does feeding the kids impact on your own food? Work full time and no ‘spare time?’
We have listed a handful of ideas for realistic resolutions that will make a difference without feeling like a total overhaul. Here are a few of our favourite ideas and the kind of things we discuss with our clients:
Hold A Plank
A very manageable fitness resolution that most people can stick to is holding a plank every morning, first thing out of bed. If you can spend one minute brushing your teeth, you can definitely find one minute to hold a plank. Planks are truly one of the best exercises to work your core and your entire body. Start with 30 seconds and build up to one minute. By doing this first thing you are reminding yourself to stay active all day and will start to build more active habits.
Make It SMART
Set a ‘SMART’ goal — specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Think about what you think you will be able to achieve in 6 months, 3 months and so on, promising yourself you will drop 2 dress sizes in 2 weeks generally only ends one way. Think about your current lifestyle, what you could change and what you can achieve before promising yourself the world! For instance, ‘I would like to take three x 30 mins sessions a week for 60 days.’ If at the end of that 60 days, you achieved your goal, reward yourself with something worthwhile, such as a short break or massage. Just as you set your resolution at the beginning, also plan your reward. That way, when you’re on week five and you want to throw in the towel, you can remember that sweet reward that is oh-so-close!
Find The Middle Ground
Shift your mind set from the very common ‘all or nothing’ mentality. For many people, the start of the fitness regime entails going from zero to 100% almost overnight … If you are currently not exercising or are exercising very sporadically, it’s not very realistic to expect that you’ll overnight commit to exercising for one or two hours per day, six days per week. Same with your diet; how many times do you see people change everything on Monday but are bored by Friday and ‘normal’ service resumes for the weekend? Often when individuals establish these ‘all or nothing’ goals, if they are not able to stick with the unrealistic expectations, they end up doing nothing at all.
Touch Your Toes
Go on, TRY IT!! Setting a performance goal (even a small one) may help you stay more motivated compared to a weight-loss goal (60 second plank anyone?). For example, a goal of 10 push-ups, or touching your toes, can create a healthy shift from focusing purely on a visual goal to a performance one. You need to remember that in order for your body to move fluidly and efficiently, your joints need sufficient range of motion, which is why flexibility is so important. As the body performs better, the aesthetics typically follow; again look at active healthy & fit people you know seem to be. Think of a performance goal that can start to really motivate you, and a goal that you can enjoy the process as you strive for it. The more you can move, the better your chances of burning calories, getting stronger, being more active.
Keep A Journal
‘I’m actually a big fan of keeping a journal. Do you work in a routine environment? Or have a structured day? (make breakfast, kids to school, shopping, etc.) How do you track your progress when you start improving your fitness, how do you plan to make changes?
We talk to our clients about recording workouts, how hard they are each week and what changes they make. Likewise, create a food journal, pick one thing to change, change it then pick another. Why? There are a couple of good reasons for keeping journals; Later, in the evening, re-open your journal and answer the questions ‘What amazing changes happened today?’ and Look back over a week or two and count the number of changes you have made since you began. When you are struggling for motivation, look at your journal and see how far you have travelled on your journey and, let this inspire you to get through the day. It may sound silly, but these practices can keep you laser-focused on your goals and on what you want to accomplish each day.
Find A Partner To Train With
Working out with a friend or partner allows for a little friendly competition, motivation, fun and increased accountability. Choose goals together and get to work! This might be joining a small training group of 3 or 4 as it means you’re not alone in the gym, can train with like-minded people and won’t feel embarrassed by all the super fit individuals in front of the mirrors. It’s always a little easier when you know someone is waiting for you at the gym and who knows, maybe you’ll meet some new friends.
Pick A Precise Number
One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is weight loss or fat or body weight composition changes. It helps if people determine a very specific amount of weight that they want to lose. Weight is easy to measure, as it requires a scale. The weight loss goal should be realistic. Too often people have unrealistic expectations for how much weight it is that they want to lose. Remember, you need to give yourself a very specific time table in which you want to accomplish this goal. From a physiology standpoint, there are a lot of factors that go into actually changing your body weight. We are not as simple as cars with a gas in/miles out function. People can get hung up on reducing calories by a very specific amount and not get the predicted weight-loss outcomes that they want. We encourage people to create goals that they can definitely accomplish, like: ‘Today I will go to the gym and I’ll try hard to do exercises appropriately and with effort’ or ‘the next meal I eat will be made up from healthy food choices and the portions will be appropriate.’ Those are steps toward reaching a goal of losing 2 kilos in 30 days. You have to be very clear about factors that you can control and factors that you can’t control.
Don’t Stress About It
Don’t stress about it being an hour workout, but keep consistent. Five to 10 minutes of morning practice can set you up for feeling great so you make great choices all day long that can help you continue cultivating a healthier you. Be realistic in your plans and don’t let one set back or bad day put you off, as part of your plan make sure you build in some down time for yourself. Relaxing the mind can help you keep focus and motivation to overcome any setbacks.
Find The Fun
Many people can get easily discouraged and give up when there’s too much emphasis on weight loss. Focus on the joys of exercise and movement instead. Take pride in your body getting stronger. Think about the boost in energy you get after a workout. Think about what you will feel like when you reach your goal. Do set goals, but make them about making fitness fun: Commit to joining a class three days a week or to signing up for a race. Just find something you consider fun!
