The New Year is a time of year that always holds so much potential and excitement. We dream up what we can accomplish with a fresh start, set new goals, and create vision boards for what we want life to look in the upcoming year. The excitement and fresh motivation that follows the New Year makes for an exciting time as a personal trainer, but it also challenges me to put my guard up, for myself and my clients. Let me explain why!
First off, I've been there. I've set the list of resolutions for a New Year that is a page long. Dreaming about lifestyle changes, fitness routines, new nutrition habits, and more. Thinking maybe somehow January 1st will bring me superhuman willpower to drink my 2 litres of water each day, hit my ten thousand steps, and crush a workout five days a week while also getting eight hours of sleep and not ever touching processed food ... Sure sounds unrealistic, right? (That was sarcasm, in case you didn't catch that!) Trust me when I say I get it, a new year is great, fresh goals are awesome, but HOW we set goals and WHAT goals we set matter. What I just listed as an example of goal setting is what I want you NOT to do. Stating goals is one thing, but setting them and creating an action plan is another.
I've been around the block a few times with New Year's resolutions, and as a personal trainer I've helped clients set goals that are strategic, realistic, and attainable. Read on for five of my best tips to master your resolutions throughout 2023!
Less is more!
Do you ever feel like you have so many things on your to do list that you don't know where to start? Don't make this mistake with your resolutions! Allow yourself to first brainstorm a list of goals on a piece of paper and cover as many topics and goals as you would like, this list can be long or short. From there though, I want you to pick between 1 and 3 things that feel like a top priority. This doesn't mean that these are all the big lifestyle changes, but more so the ones you can implement most efficiently and that will have the most bang for their buck. You might even opt to choose 1-3 goals for the first half of the year, and some new goals for the second half of the year!
Takeaway: Revise your focus and pick 1-3 goals that feel the most relevant, attainable, and impactful to your current life.
Be flexible!
Strict goals are the route to failure. There, I said it. Say you decide to go to the gym five days each week. You do that for the first couple of weeks in January, and then the third week your kid gets sick and you can only go three times that week. You probably feel like a major failure, even though you're not. Strict goals place strict restrictions on us that make the chance for failure high, often causing us to lose motivation and fall off track. Rather than setting strict goals, set flexible goals such as aiming to go to the gym 3-5 days of the week. Even better, aim to simply workout 3-5 days a week. Why limit yourself to needing to go to the gym? Home workouts are great. Or one more step, aim to simply move your body 3-5 days of the week.
Takeaway: Set goals with flexible guidelines that allow you to fluctuate in your execution so you can be consistent.
Have an action plan AKA process goals!
You might have heard "a goal without a plan is just a wish" which is very true, especially in the case of resolutions. Great, you've picked what you want to work on! HOW are you going to get there? Outcome goals are things like weightloss, running a 5 km, or anything where you're looking to achieve a specific outcome. Process goals on the other hand are goals that relate to those outcome goals AKA they're your action plan. Your outcome goal might be losing five pounds, while your process goals (Action Plan) for how you're going to do that are training 3-5 times a week and eating vegetables with dinner most nights of the week. Whatever your outcome goal is, work backwards to brainstorm what it takes to get there and create your action plan!
Takeaway: Set outcome goals related to your achievement (eg. Losing 5 lbs) and process goals to create your Action Plan for getting there.
Have a contingency plan!
You've set your goals, great, but what happens when life happens and you get off track? It is almost inevitable that at some point you will get sick, busy with work, or have another commitment that keeps you from perfectly executing your goal one week. Having a contingency plan for what happens when you miss a goal or don't execute it perfectly is the best way to keep your momentum going and not give up. If you miss a workout do you do extra the next day? Reschedule it for later in the week? Forget it and try again next week? Go for a walk instead? Pick what feels right AND doable for you and stick to that. This will keep you moving forward, motivated, and excited about your progress.
Takeaway: Decide what happens when you mess up on your goals and have a plan ready that keeps you moving forward.
Bring in backup!
Accountability is a big part of successfully executing your goals! Having a partner, gym buddy, or friend to tell about your goals is a big part of keeping the momentum going. Checking in regularly with others keeps us accountable and consistent with our goals. When a gym buddy or family member isn't available, or potentially doesn't even support your goals, it can sometimes be hard to stay motivated and accountable. Hiring a Personal Trainer to provide in-person training sessions can be a great way to stay accountable to gym workouts. Alternatively, hiring an Online Coach can be a great way to get support wherever you are in the world and get a custom program specific to your goals and facilities.
Takeaway: Identify friends, family, or others that can support you in the execution of your goals. Consider hiring a Personal Trainer or Online Coach for extra accountability and guidance along the way!
Personal Training + Online Coaching
If you're looking to get started on your goals this 2023, Focused Fitness offers both Personal Training and Online Coaching for those look for custom training programs, support, and accountability along the way! Receive guidance from a Certified Personal Trainer, training recommendations specific to your goals, and nutrition support along the way. Send us an email at FocusedFitnessBC@gmail.com to inquire about Online Coaching spots or in-person training for those local to the Lower Mainland of BC.
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