LETS TALK ABOUT RESOLUTIONS!
Hi all! I hope you had a great holiday season and a Happy New Year!
Now… for those of us (myself included) it’s time for those annual resolutions as we chase the desire to better ourselves in the new year.
There are a few “rules” I want you to keep in mind as you’re writing down the list of things you would like to change or improve.
Rule #1– KEEP IT SIMPLE Resist the temptation to make the list more than 2-3 things long.
If you consider the amount of energy it really takes to change habits and stay focused, it’s never a great idea to load your plate with a bunch of stuff.
Get really good at changing just a couple of things (the most important deal here is adherence)…after 6-8 weeks reassess and use those new skills to change the next thing on your list….
Rule #2-EASE INTO IT As much as it sounds great to hit the ground running…remember we’ve just come down from one of the craziest times of year, the holidays.
We all could use a little rest after the Christmas shopping and driving across the state 3 times to see the ENTIRE family. It’s amazing what 1-2 weeks of real rest can do in the long term.
Change can be really fatiguing, so why not recharge the batteries (good sleep resolution anyone?) and then get cracking.
Your long-term adherence can greatly improve by not bringing all the crazy holiday energy along for the ride. So…start small and build into the bigger more challenging goals.
Rule #3-EXPECT SOME FAILURES This rule builds off the previous one above. We love to think linearly but most evidence shows that long-term gains are filled with peaks and valleys.
Don’t let a bump in the road discourage you so much it knocks you completely off course. Regroup and get back into it.
I’d go so far as to say plan some time off. In the fitness world, we call it a “de-load” day or even week. The idea is your body (and brain) will eventually fatigue out over periods of intense training or stress.
When you’re burned out the likelihood of adherence is going to drop off (and your gains will flatten as you just “grind”). Some real rest, a cheat meal, or mini-vacation will cool you off and freshen up the quality of your efforts.
That’s it for now. If you’d like help or some accountability sticking to your New Years goals we’d love the opportunity to coach you through the ups and downs. Click here to schedule a “No Sweat Intro” and we’ll work together to build a plan you can stick to and enjoy the process.
Have a great day!
Insight Fitness Team