Kati’s Fit Kit –
5 Ways to KEEP Your New Year’s Resolutions!
If you made a resolution to improve your health and fitness this year, you are not alone. Multiple surveys have found that once again for 2017, fitness related goals were at the top of the New Year’s Resolution list.
Sadly, only about 9% of people achieve their resolutions. So, if you are already struggling to keep your goal of getting in shape, again, you are not alone.
Now, don’t let those odds get you down! We know that most of the time, the reasons why fitness resolutions fail is because of misinformation and confusion put out there by the bigger voices in the fitness industry. Chances are you can’t turn on your TV or go online right now without an ad for a quick fix informercial fitness product or program… or an ad for a big box gym with smiling young people all having a great time… or prepackaged meal plans that promise the food tastes great and you’ll never feel hungry. But what happens when one of those things doesn’t work for you? You might feel like you’ve failed, when in reality it’s the fitness industry that has failed you. All too often the gym is an intimidating environment where people don’t feel welcome, home workout programs have little support or individual variety, and standard meal plans for weight loss leave people feeling hungry and frustrated with tracking “points” or calories.
At Breakthrough, we feel fortunate to be a part of a growing group of fitness professionals that are working to not only change our clients’ lives for the better, but to change the fitness industry in general. We know that with the right information, support, and guidance, health and fitness goals are achievable for everyone! So, if you set a goal to get in better shape this year, here are our top 5 ideas to KEEP your resolution. Don’t give up, you’ve got this!
1. Let go of perfectionism and “all or nothing” mentality. Ok, so maybe you made a plan for the New Year, and you did great that first week… But if your January started off anything like we’ve been seeing with our members, you’ve probably already experienced a few unexpected “setbacks.” Maybe you caught that cold that’s been going around, or things got crazy at work now that the holidays are over, or something’s going on in your personal life that you didn’t see coming. And your perfect plan of going to the gym 7 days a week, and cooking all your meals at home hasn’t been going so well. Don’t let the fact that you might have to make some compromises and changes cause you to abandon your goals altogether. Exercising 2 days a week, and cooking a few dinners is WAY better than not exercising at all and ordering take out every night! A good plan executed beats a perfect plan abandoned every time! In fact, developing the skill to adjust to what you CAN do is one of the most beneficial things you can do when it comes to health and fitness, because the “perfect” set of circumstances doesn’t really exist. You will constantly find yourself waiting for the “right time” when work is less busy, or your family stress calms down, or you have time to be more consistent etc. There is no “perfect” plan or “right” time – so adjust as needed, but stay in the game and don’t give up entirely!
2. Stop punishing yourself. We’ve seen many people who hit the gym in January ready to do penance for their holiday indulgences by pushing themselves until they drop in their workouts, and eating nothing but grilled chicken and broccoli for every meal. There are a variety of reasons why this approach isn’t the best recipe for success, but mainly it has to do with mindset. If you approach your workouts and meals as punishments for yesterday’s sins, how likely are you to want to keep exercising and eating more healthfully? Not very. Your training routine should follow a smart plan that will have some challenging days, and some not so challenging days, and overall build you up to get better and stronger overtime – it should not be continual torture sessions that leave you feeling more and more run down. If you are too rigid in your food choices, you are more likely to give up than if you allow yourself room for guilt-free splurges about 10% of the time.
3. Think long term. Exercising and eating right isn’t about what happens in the next 90 days. It’s an ongoing, long term commitment to taking care of yourself for the rest of your life. Don’t overwhelm yourself with an overly restrictive diet, or an overly aggressive gym routine that you won’t stick to. Don’t get fooled by quick-fixes and things that sound too good to be true. Think about where you want to be next year at this time, not just next month, and allow for the fact that real changes take time.
4. Invest in a coach. We all need help and guidance to grow and achieve goals we set for ourselves, but people often feel like getting in shape is something they have to do alone. But on our own, how do we figure out what exercise and eating plan will work for us? From something we saw on YouTube, or read in a magazine or blog? Sure, there is some good information out there, but a coach will not only help you sort out fact from fiction, but will also be able to help you adjust when you need to, and provide the support and guidance we all need to succeed. There are studies that show that people who have professional support from a coach are up to 90% percent more likely to reach their goals than people who don’t. Find a coach you connect with, who understands your goals, has helped others reach similar goals, and who actually cares about seeing you get where you want to go!
5. Find your tribe. Just like professional accountability increases your odds of achieving your goals, social support can also give you an 85% boost in success compared to those who go it alone. In terms of exercise, even if you are diligent about doing home workouts, you likely aren’t challenging yourself in the same way you would be (or having as much fun) if you were training with other people. When you are around other people who have similar goals and who want to see you succeed, the gym can transform from a place where you feel lost, intimidated and alone, to a place you actually look forward to going to. If you haven’t found a community you feel a part of, keep looking, it’s out there!
Here’s to a healthy and strong 2017!
Strength and love – Kati
P.S. – If any of this resonated with you, we’d love to hear from you! We offer custom exercise programs, supportive nutrition coaching, small group and semi-private training in a fun and friendly environment, with coaches who truly care. We’d be happy to hear about your goals, and share about what we do at Breakthrough to see if we are a good fit for you. You can schedule a complimentary Strategy Session with one of our coaches today!