Sounds nuts for a fit-pro to be saying something like this! So let me be more specific. Don’t make a new year’s resolution to get fit, be stronger and lose weight. Why? Before I answer that, let me ask you something first. Look around. How many of your workmates, friends or family members etc. ever stuck to a resolution made at the beginning of the year? Not many or none at all? If they were serious they might have started in earnest, but then the going got inevitably tougher and rougher, and enthusiasm waned. Motivation sailed off into the sunset too around about the same time. Maybe this is also your own experience?
So why do NY resolutions fail and why should you avoid them?
Because most people don’t understand how to set goals effectively. More importantly, we fail to really understand the uphill battle that lies ahead. In reality, making a decision to get fit, feel stronger and lose weight actually describes the result or outcome that most of us are chasing. What we forget to commit to is the process that leads to these results. That process is all about one thing … change. Or more specifically behavioural change. If Jack or Jenny, hasn’t exercised regularly in a long time then there will be some pretty ingrained patterns of behaviour that will make change really challenging. We all have behaviours that are about finding our comfort zone. And here’s the kicker! Our bodies and our brains are conspiring to keep us there once we find it. The more we shock the system with new – ‘out of the blue’ exercise routines, the more our bodies rebel with soreness, fatigue etc. And that ain’t fun. It’s why most of us give up. But that’s what happens when we launch into a new diet or exercise routine without taking care of some pretty important and fundamental things first.
And here’s how we do it. First, accept that becoming fitter, stronger and leaner means undoing the things that led to us becoming unfit, weaker and overweight. Getting ‘unfit’ and packing on the kilos is a process and it never happens overnight. Ipso facto – undoing all of that takes time too, and begins with small, achievable wins. Every week for as long as possible. Eventually, after layering on the small habitual changes over a period of time, we end up with new ingrained behaviours that are much more beneficial and last forever. We can make this even more effective by being strategic with those small changes. Such as prioritising sleep for recovery. We see people winning with this approach in our gym all year round.
Be wary of quick fixes this year. Don’t skip over some of the steps by taking on a 6, 8 or 12 week challenge. That’s not enough time to change ingrained behaviours. They’re still present and they’ll rear their ugly heads again after the fast fix weight loss program is done. Set SMART goals but don’t forget to work backwards from your deadline, plotting your milestones along the way. So that next week, you know exactly how to start your journey.
To recap – NY resolutions are fun but if you’re serious about changing your future then don’t even bother. Commit to getting uncomfortable – gradually – in small incremental steps instead. Aim for momentum that is always building rather than starting- stopping-starting. At our gym we make a big deal out of the 100 workout milestone and 1 year of consistent training. There’s a lot of little wins collected along the way to those milestones. But every one of those wins came from taking one step forward. Take your first step today by picking something you can do next week that is step towards your fitness goals, but is easy to achieve. Let me know how you go.