Come the 2nd of January and the gyms will be making an absolute fortune on people who've made their New Year's resolution to get fit or to drop the extra Christmas lbs they have been gathering. Half way through February the attendance starts to drop and for many the resolution made in the new year is a memory long lost.
The questions is, how do you make a resolution last? When I set up goals and aims with my personal training clients I use the 'SMART' principle: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
One of the most common mistakes is to set a very generalised resolution, e.g. 'I want to lose weight' or 'I want to get ripped'. To make it more achievable it needs to be more specific. You will need to highlight what, why and how you are to do it. For example: I want to lose weight to fit into my old clothes and I will do this by going to the gym 3 times a week and by eating better' or 'I want to increase muscle mass for a competition by increasing the efficacy of my gym workouts and increasing my protein intake'. To increase the specificity of the resolution, you can make it measurable. If your goal is weight loss you can make this into a number by saying you want to shred 8 kg. If you're looking at increasing your muscle mass, but decreasing the amount of fat you carry, fat percentage will be more accurate than weight, so you may want to aim for e.g. a 7% fat loss. Some advanced scales can show your fat percentage, or you can get a personal trainer at your gym to measure yours. Perhaps you want to increase your cardiovascular fitness by running, then you can set the goal of completing e.g. a 10 km race. By doing this, you have something to refer your progress to and milestones to reach.
You need to make your resolution 'attainable' by adjusting your environment and self perceptions. You need to believe in yourself in order to reach your goals. Don't dwell in negative thoughts about yourself or your resolution, instead look at the benefits of completing your resolution. Furthermore, weight loss or increasing lean muscle may be harder if your cupboards are stocked with Christmas chocolates... Additionally, without trainers and appropriate kit you are less likely to go out running. Make sure that you have the environmental, emotional and material requirements to complete your goals. Also make sure your resolution is 'realistic'. If you have never been much of a runner, perhaps aim for 5 or 10 km instead of a full marathon and remember to look at healthy time frames as losing 10 kg in a month is not realistic and neither is it healthy.
Finally, set yourself a time frame and set yourself sub-goals. If your aim is to have lost 10 kg by the end of the year, set yourself smaller goals like having dropped a dress size within two months. If you've got a half marathon race in September, why not try and do a 10 km race in June? It will prepare you for your big raise and give you a feel of the adrenaline raised by the crowds. However, if you wish you reward yourself at the end of reaching your sub-goals and goals, please refrain from rewarding yourself with something that is counterproductive. If you've lost your sub-goal of body fat percentage for that fitness competition you've enrolled in, a big glazed doughnut is not going to be the most suitable reward. Instead maybe reward yourself with an outfit for your competition, a new base-layer for your autumn race or a new pair of jeans for your slimmed down thighs.
I wish you all the best of luck in reaching your New Year's resolutions! Be kind to yourselves and listen to your bodies. If you're new to training or stepping it up, your body will ache and be sore. Allow yourself sufficient of time for recovery and the right nutrition to aid your muscles. Also acknowledge the fact that you are human, you may have a slip and you may struggle, don't be too hard on yourself as it will only create negative emotions and thoughts. Remember that you are embarking on your fitness journey for yourself and a healthy lifestyle that will hopefully go beyond the 'New Year'.
Happy New Year!
The questions is, how do you make a resolution last? When I set up goals and aims with my personal training clients I use the 'SMART' principle: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
One of the most common mistakes is to set a very generalised resolution, e.g. 'I want to lose weight' or 'I want to get ripped'. To make it more achievable it needs to be more specific. You will need to highlight what, why and how you are to do it. For example: I want to lose weight to fit into my old clothes and I will do this by going to the gym 3 times a week and by eating better' or 'I want to increase muscle mass for a competition by increasing the efficacy of my gym workouts and increasing my protein intake'. To increase the specificity of the resolution, you can make it measurable. If your goal is weight loss you can make this into a number by saying you want to shred 8 kg. If you're looking at increasing your muscle mass, but decreasing the amount of fat you carry, fat percentage will be more accurate than weight, so you may want to aim for e.g. a 7% fat loss. Some advanced scales can show your fat percentage, or you can get a personal trainer at your gym to measure yours. Perhaps you want to increase your cardiovascular fitness by running, then you can set the goal of completing e.g. a 10 km race. By doing this, you have something to refer your progress to and milestones to reach.
You need to make your resolution 'attainable' by adjusting your environment and self perceptions. You need to believe in yourself in order to reach your goals. Don't dwell in negative thoughts about yourself or your resolution, instead look at the benefits of completing your resolution. Furthermore, weight loss or increasing lean muscle may be harder if your cupboards are stocked with Christmas chocolates... Additionally, without trainers and appropriate kit you are less likely to go out running. Make sure that you have the environmental, emotional and material requirements to complete your goals. Also make sure your resolution is 'realistic'. If you have never been much of a runner, perhaps aim for 5 or 10 km instead of a full marathon and remember to look at healthy time frames as losing 10 kg in a month is not realistic and neither is it healthy.
Finally, set yourself a time frame and set yourself sub-goals. If your aim is to have lost 10 kg by the end of the year, set yourself smaller goals like having dropped a dress size within two months. If you've got a half marathon race in September, why not try and do a 10 km race in June? It will prepare you for your big raise and give you a feel of the adrenaline raised by the crowds. However, if you wish you reward yourself at the end of reaching your sub-goals and goals, please refrain from rewarding yourself with something that is counterproductive. If you've lost your sub-goal of body fat percentage for that fitness competition you've enrolled in, a big glazed doughnut is not going to be the most suitable reward. Instead maybe reward yourself with an outfit for your competition, a new base-layer for your autumn race or a new pair of jeans for your slimmed down thighs.
I wish you all the best of luck in reaching your New Year's resolutions! Be kind to yourselves and listen to your bodies. If you're new to training or stepping it up, your body will ache and be sore. Allow yourself sufficient of time for recovery and the right nutrition to aid your muscles. Also acknowledge the fact that you are human, you may have a slip and you may struggle, don't be too hard on yourself as it will only create negative emotions and thoughts. Remember that you are embarking on your fitness journey for yourself and a healthy lifestyle that will hopefully go beyond the 'New Year'.
Happy New Year!