Simple Fitness Habits to Develop in the New Year
How exciting can this time of year be? You can look forward to the next 12 months and everything you want to achieve. It’s a great time to think about where you want to go, what you want to do, as well as what you do not want to do in regards to your well-being.
Habits. The longer you are consistent with anything, the less you have to think about it, and the more it becomes routine. That is exactly what we want with out health and fitness. We want to be in the habit of caring for our health and well-being. That's why I can't stress enough about building specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely goals that pertain to you for long-term success and adherence. Your fitness should be individualize to you, your schedule and your level, not anyone else's. And our heath and fitness is a journey not a destination. It is ever evolving and we must adapt with it.
Statistics show that majority of "resolutions" discontinue by February, with unrealistic goals set. That's why I am here as your personal trainer to guide you and help you reach our goals in any way possible. Maybe you want to smash that PB you’ve been working towards, run 5K without stopping, or maybe you want to complete a one of my guides or master a unique exercise I have introduced you too. Whatever it is you want to achieve in 2022, here are a few tips to see you through January and beyond!
Define your why behind your health and fitness and understand your why behind your movement. It can be simple or complex, but it needs to be more than something superficial. The new year comes and goes, motivation comes and goes, that is why you must have a clear understanding of why you should keep going and remain consistent.
DON’T DWELL, DON'T COMPARE
“I’ve put on so much weight over...”
“I can’t lift as heavy as...”
“It's been ages since..."
"I'm not as fast..."
Our first, and possibly hardest tip to follow, is to not dwell or compare ourselves to others and our past self, this attitude gets you nowhere. Concentrate on moving forward, being the strongest version of YOU, and getting back on track rather than fixating on the past or others. This is YOUR journey. It’s a tough one to master and takes continual work, but once you realize focusing on the numbers or others is not worth it, you can move on and smash your goals.
MAKE YOUR HEALTH A PRIORITY
As you ladies know, I’m a big believer in being kind and giving towards everyone. But, I also make sure to take care of my own health too. You can't pour from an empty cup. This year, try to break the habit of putting your health last. Schedule time in your planner for workouts and don’t give up that time easily. Make positive self-talk a priority. Take time each morning to think of things you are grateful for. Practice mindfulness.
SET REALISTIC GOALS
Aiming to lose "xxxxx" in January isn’t realistic, neither is setting yourself the evil task of hitting the gym 5am seven days a week. Be reasonable. Set attainable goals that challenge you but aren’t impossible. We want to building healthy habits that last a lifetime. Setting unrealistic goals will only knock your confidence because, if you don’t meet them, you’ll feel like a failure. It's about making a schedule that works for us, that we can adhere to and build healthy habits from. Our health and fitness goes well beyond our aesthetics. When we focus on movement we enjoy, and doing it out of love for our body, the rest just follows.
PLAN AHEAD
Plan your workout sessions and movement ahead of time. Book them into your planners like you would doctors appointments. Physically planning these events into your calendars will make them feel official and you’ll feel as if you can’t miss them. Also planning a workout with a friend (even virtually!) is also a good way to ensure your commitment, you’re less likely to let a friend down than yourself. Join my private Facebook group and find safe accountability there, with women all over the world sharing their journey and cheering each other on.
TRY SOMETHING NEW
While it’s natural to enjoy doing things you’re comfortable with, doing the same thing over and over again can be limiting, not to mention, it can get boring! Doing the same workout every week means you may not be challenging yourself and your body, which means maybe you’re not seeing results from your workouts. That's also why I love my Commit Guides! I keep the same compound and foundational moves weekly, but change up the variables of them such as foot placement, hand placement, time under tension, angle variations, timing, reps which helps ensure you are targeting every part of the muscle group and will continue to progress and keep it interesting. An awesome goal for the new year is to try something new! Try a new program, a new workout class, running, hiking, weight training, whatever it is, step outside your comfort zone and watch yourself grow.
NO BODY SHAMING
Sadly, there is enough negativity in the world about women’s bodies, so don’t add your own thoughts and voice to that about yourself or anyone else. Most of us have insecurities about our bodies, but it’s time to stop body shaming about things that are completely normal like cellulite, stretch marks or varying body sizes. Don’t allow your thoughts to tell you how you should look or how someone else should look. Acknowledge them as unhelpful and let them go! Remember, our health and well-being is much more about our quality of life, how we move and how we feel.
QUIT CONSTANTLY CHECKING YOUR PHONE
I know how hard it is to disconnect yourself from social media, emails and group texts. But learning to pay attention to the people and the places that are in front of you is important. It is good for your mental health which goes hand in hand with your physical health. Try to make an effort to put your phone down more often, take note of what’s happening around you and be grateful for life.
If you want to improve your health, I'm sure you can do it. Think positive and have a great year.
Xoxo, MK
