Keeping your New Years Resolutions Alive

Most of us have had a pretty busy Christmas, eating too much, socialising alittle more than we would usually and probably drinking alittle more than normal. Now that Christmas has been and gone, a lot of you will be thinking about your New Year resolutions and that will probably include wanting to get fitter, lose weight, tone up your body and basically have the body that you’ve always dreamed off….Sound about right??

I would like you to take a minute before reading any further and ask yourself this…. Did you set these same goals last year? And the year before, and the year before that? If this sounds like you then I have a question for you - Why haven’t you already achieved them? And what stopped you or got in the way last time around?

Don’t worry, you are not alone, in fact 80% of new year resolutions end up as failures, but once you look deeper into the reasons behind this we are able to see that these failures are consistent amongst many people and are avoidable. In this article I am going to look at the common mistakes we all tend to make when setting ourselves fitness resolutions and how you can continue with theses resolutions past February!

1. You set an unrealistic goal! – I want to lose 2 stone by the end of January, or I want a six pack by April. Now I’m not saying these are not achievable, however to get to these goals you need to consider a few things – What is your current state? and are you willing to put in the time and dedication, some sacrifices may need to make. Make sure your goals are specific, measureable and achievable. Unrealistic goals will demotivate you. Divide your goal into smaller short term goals, that way you will see changes.

2. You don’t have a plan! I want to lose weight in 2018… Excellent you have a goal, but how are you going to do this?? Wanting to do something is great and the first step towards creating a goal. But ask yourself this… What does success look like? And how are you going to get there? What do you need to do to get there? If you’re planning to lose weight then having an exercise routine and diet plan you can follow will really help, and is really important for long term success. Set aside some time in your calendar every week to work out, or if you struggle to do this meet up with a friend or get yourself a Personal Trainer so they are taking accountability for you, and guide you in the right direction, we offer a variety of different options and services at Build a Body to get you to where you want to be.

3. You don’t enjoy the experience. If you don’t like something chances are you’re not going to do it. Find something you enjoy. So, if you don’t like the gym or find the gym scary you are never going to go. If you prefer working out with people go to a boot camp or an exercise class, find a gym buddy and train with someone. Training with someone is a great way to catch up with friends as well as getting fit. Every step you take, every sacrifice you make have your end goal in mind. Visualise the end result, you on the beach looking hot in your bikini, winning that race you want to enter or being able to play with the kids more as you are fitter and more mobile.

4. You don’t consider potential obstacles. You plan to embark on your life changing goal, but just as our about to start a minor obstacle pops up, for example you realise you don’t have the correct running shoes when your just about to start running, or been held up late at work. Sure, there is tomorrow, or the following day, but if you wait too long you will lose motivation, now your back into the habits you adopted before. Plan for obstacles, and ways around them, could you go to the gym before work so things can’t get in the way? Or if you are planning running go and get fitted and kitted out now.

5. You don’t start straight away! This is a very common occurrence particularly when it comes to fitness. Many people always want to start at the beginning of a new week, a new month or a new year. It feels great when you decide to eat healthy, get into a new exercise routine and adopt a healthier lifestyle, however doing it is the hard part. As the day approaches you may not have the same positivity and motivation as you initially had. If you have the will to start today then go ahead and start today! Why wait until tomorrow, chances are you won’t do it and will keep putting it off.

Whilst 80% of people do not achieve their fitness resolutions, 20% of people do, and I am going to tell you how you can be in the 20% crew and achieve those fitness goals your wanting.

1. Set SMART goals. If you have ever had a manager that has made you set professional goals and objectives, this framework applies to your fitness too. What is SMART –

• Specific

• Measurable

• Attainable

• Relevant

• Time Frame

If your goal is to vague then you will find yourself wondering around aimlessly achieving who knows what. Instead of saying ‘I want to lose weight’ think and decide on a realistic number, and set yourself a deadline to get to it.

2. Draft a detailed plan – Look at what you have done in the past and why it didn’t work then. Its only then you can move forward this year. Why now? Why are you pursuing the change? And why didn’t it work before?

3. Use a calendar. Now this may sound silly, but if you have a clear idea of when you are going to do things (a structure), you are more likely to do it. You wouldn’t miss a hair appointment or a business meeting…. So why would you miss a workout? Use your calendar to plan your workouts and keep it realistic. You don’t need to plan to do a full gym workout everyday as for many of you this is unachievable and unrealistic. Plan 2-3 workouts a week and put it in your diary NOW. If you can do more then that’s great but don’t set the bar to high otherwise you are setting yourself up to fail.

4. Focus on the CAN rather than the CANT. Negative framing can make resolutions feel like prison, so rather than focusing on the CANT, ‘I can’t have a desert’… look for a solution like ‘I’ll have a fruit salad for desert’, Find stuff you enjoy and stop fretting over what you can’t do.

5. Start with something small. If your new to running DON’T enter yourself in a marathon. Instead enter a 5k run to begin this will give you something to work towards and that you can achieve. This is your first steps and goes hand in hand with making your goals realistic.

6. Keep a journal or log book. Write down what you’ve done, and what you’re doing. Myself personally, I always do this and have done for years. This is a great way to see progress and, you know exactly what you are doing for that workout. Noting down what you have done allows you to analyse progress, accomplishments and areas to work on.

7.Use an online progress tracker…. These tools are a great way to log what you’ve done monitor progress and shortfalls, as well as sharing progress and workouts with friends. As stated before accountability is absolutely huge when it comes to achieving your fitness goals, so by telling people what you are doing or having someone there with you rooting you on can be really motivational and helpful in your journey.

Use these helpful tips when setting your new year resolutions and you will smash your 2018 fitness goals. If you are need alittle help to push yourself in the right direction, would like someone to motivate you towards your goals are would like someone to assist you with your exercise and diet plan please feel free to contact us of your FREE Lifestyle Consultation and Taster. We have a variety of training packages that suit all needs and abilities from our group boot camp circuits, semi-private personal training, 121 personal training and our online training. Feel free to contact us to discuss your options at info@buildabodypt.co.uk or contact us on 07748 378388, we want you to succeed in your fitness quest not be just a January gym goer.