How to make and keep your new year's fitness resolutions
The start of a new year is exciting. It encourages us to make big plans for big changes. Many of the changes might be old ones that we’ve been planning for years but we keep failing to make them every year. This year we have a new chance to avoid that. Here is a collection of the most common fitness resolutions that tend to fail and a few tips on how to make them work. 2021 is the year to succeed!
I will exercise every day!
I have heard this one so many times and I never understood why you would do such a thing. Are you preparing for the Olympics or do you just want to feel or look better?
Either way there is no need to work out every single day. Even top athletes don’t do that, or if they do it's only for a short time for the sake of a short term goal. They already have a high fitness level, so their bodies are prepared to take on an extreme training regime.
If you've never exercised before or you stopped working out regularly a long time ago, start with 2-3 workouts a week. If your body adapts to the new regime and you feel like you need more, add days or hours gradually. To train 4-5 times a week you need not only the right fitness level but also discipline and time. Before you start to feel guilty about not being able to complete a training program think about your schedule and plan as many workouts as you can actually complete. Plan your week ahead of time and see how many workout days you can squeeze in. Be realistic! You will feel better knowing you will do 3 days rather than feeling guilty because you couldn’t do a fourth.
Scheduling your workout and rest days will help to keep your resolution going and avoid burning out, the experience of overtraining that can affect your physical performance and your mental state. Without proper recovery time you cannot perform at your best; instead of getting stronger, you might feel weaker. You may start to execute your exercises more slowly and improperly. You can try to put more effort in but your body might feel heavier and your muscles shorter. You might experience irritability, constant hunger or lack of appetite and sleeping problems that cause even more stress. It's a frustrating experience that's best to avoid. The signals above mean that your body is trying to let you know that you are not ready for the next workout. Listen to it!
It is also important to choose an exercise form that you like. If you want to look like a bodybuilder but you don’t like lifting weights, sooner or later you will find an excuse to skip your workouts. If you want to be flexible like a contortionist, you have to enjoy stretching to be able to train regularly. If you want to learn to swim you have to be okay with getting wet a few times a week. Again, be realistic and pick a resolution that is right for you!
Every exercise is good as long as it makes you feel good.
I’m going to lose *this much* weight!
Calculating your healthy body weight is a great start to weight loss if that’s your goal. However, having a number in mind can be both a good goal and a source of pressure. It all depends on your approach. Don’t make big changes too fast as it can leave you frustrated and can affect other areas of your life negatively. If you don’t know what a realistic and healthy timeframe is to achieve your ideal body weight and you don’t know how to take steps towards it, ask a professional! During Covid now is the best time to find a good online coach.
I’m starting a new diet today!
Whatever diet direction you’re considering in the new year, do your research before you jump in and think about why you want to try a certain diet! Read articles, books from different authors and try not to get caught up on any one person’s opinion. Then mindfully experience the diet and its effects on your body. Proceed gradually!
Don’t try to become a vegetarian on the first day of January if your meals had contained meat 3 times a day every day before then. Suddenly switching to a vegetarian diet might be way too challenging. If the change is too drastic you might not be able to stick to the new regimen. Instead of putting yourself in a situation where it’s easy to fail (your body needs time to adapt to new nutrition) schedule a couple of meat-free days and see how you like it. If that's good, schedule more days. And if you’re still happy then cut meat completely. If it’s not for you, at least you tried and you know. Just experience what makes you feel good: what helps you feel less bloated, what helps you sleep well, what makes your stomach less acidic, what promotes weight loss, muscle gain or whatever your physical goal is, what makes your skin glow, etc.
Summary:
Dream big but also set achievable goals and build your plan GRADUALLY. And before you do that UNDERSTAND why you’re doing it. Whatever you decide to do will require determination, discipline and some kind of sacrifice.
If you understand why something is important to you, what it would change in your life if you achieve it, and what it takes to achieve it, it will make it easier to stick to your plan. It might help to write it all down. It is not easy to put words into writing so you can think it through more and clarify your thoughts. Get a clear vision and go for it!
