Tips on how to succeed in the gym this year.
Mike Montgomery
Barnes Corner Fitness
December 31, 2017
Nearly everyone has set a lofty goal in anticipation of the new year, but as motivation dwindles and life gets in the way, most people struggle to stick to the plan. How can you set yourself up for success with your fitness New Year’s resolutions?
We’ve compiled a list of suggestions to start your fitness journey for 2018.
Set Priorities, Eliminate Excuses.
“I don’t have Time” really means “It’s NOT a Priority”
We lead busy lives and use our limited time as an excuse to procrastinate and avoid getting things done, but often claiming we don’t have time is a lie. It’s a lie we tell others and ourselves. It helps us believe we’ll never get anything done, and this is a problem. Fortunately, the solution might be as simple as changing your language.
The excuse of “I don’t have time” is just that, an excuse. Instead of saying “I don’t have time” try saying “it’s not a priority,” and see how that feels. Often, that’s a perfectly adequate explanation. “I have time to go to the gym, I just don’t want to.” If this phrase doesn’t sit well, that’s the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don’t like how we’re spending an hour, we can choose differently.
Schedule Your Workouts
“The greatest amount of wasted time, is the time not getting started.”
Put it on your calendar as an appointment and stick to it. People who attend group exercise or use personal training see better results, because they are more consistent and held accountable for their actions. If you have to go, you go and goals are attained through consistent effort. The best way to stay on the path is to STAY ON THE PATH.
Create Measurable Goals
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” – Peter Drucker
Management thinker Peter Drucker is often quoted as saying that “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.”
Drucker means that you can’t know whether or not you are successful unless success is defined and tracked. With a clearly established metric for success, you can quantify progress and adjust your process to produce the desired outcome. Without clear objectives, you’re stuck in a constant state of guessing.
Sometimes our New Year’s resolutions are too vague. We vow to get fitter, get stronger, or lose weight – but how do we measure those goals? Rather than thinking broadly, get specific and be realistic. Make the goals attainable on the short term. Once short-terms goals are met, create new goals. Short-term goals lead to long-term results.
Be Realistic, but stay Disciplined
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment”
When January rolls around, many people get excited at the thought of a fresh start. They strive to completely revamp their diet, workout, and lifestyle. But, changing too much at once can be overwhelming. Think about your current lifestyle and your future goals. If you want to change your diet, think about your biggest temptations. Set a goal to cut desserts on weekdays, schedule a Meatless Monday, or swap your heavy snacks for lighter alternatives. Make Friday nights your Pizza night, and enjoy it. After-all, we are all human and eating Pizza or having a beer is not evil.
These small steps can lead to big rewards. Make a lifestyle change, not a temporary change that is not realistic or sustainable and stick to it.
“Discipline Equals Freedom” -Jocko Willink
“No one wants to hear this, but step number one is to wake up early. That is where it starts. It does take discipline to get out of bed early, but that sets the tone and the pattern of discipline for the rest of the day.
One of the best mental disciplines for people to implement is simply putting together a schedule or a task list and actually executing it. Write the list or the schedule the night before, and then do what you said you would do. Life becomes much better when you do that.” an excerpt from Discipline Equals Freedom, by Jocko Willink
Create a Plan
“A goal without a plan is just a wish”
In order to set goals, it takes a detailed plan and execution of the plan to succeed. Purchasing a gym membership is a first step, but now what? A door access key isn’t going to get you in shape. A Workout and Nutrition plan finely executed with consistent intensity will get you there. But most people have no experience in understanding what it takes to improve fitness. Many believe walking on the treadmill or elliptical for 30-60 minutes will achieve fitness. It doesn’t. Low-Intesity movement is like trying to take a horse and buggy to California. You will eventually get there, if you don’t die or give up first.
Different objectives require different plans. There is unlimited amounts of FREE information out there, but sometimes a YouTube video or a Pinterest pin will not get you there, but it’s a start. For Weight-loss, exercise alone will do nothing. It starts with nutrition. Building strength means you must do resistance training. Endurance and Flexibility requires frequent movement and breathing training. Building physique requires muscle-hypertrophy. What is the specific plan to get there? Each one is different and It may be time to ask a professional to help you get started. We have plenty of options. Contact us.
Try Something Different
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates
Many of us are intimidated to try new things. When it comes to overall fitness, there is no quicker path to success than functional training. Our CrossFit program mixes all modalities of physical skills to create a different workout environment than what most people are used to. The program focuses on General Physical Preparedness (GPP) training through measuring every exercise, creating time and task goals, increasing capacity of all physical skills (strength, endurance, flexibility) and neurological skills (coordination, balance, agility), improving speed and power output, to be prepared for everyday life and to live as healthy as humanly possible.
The community and coaches are the glue that keeps you accountable and consistent. Consistency is the key to improvement. Don’t let fear and intimidation get in your way. The program is adaptable for everyone and we have all ages and skill levels participating and excelling. Contact us for a FREE test drive.
To read more about what CrossFit is exactly, click here.
Think Outside the Box
While improving your diet or workout habits may be the most common fitness goals of the New Year’s resolution crowd, these factors are just part of your overall wellness. What about your sleep habits? Consider setting a resolution to go to bed a little earlier or limit your nightly screen time. How are your stress levels? Think about starting a journal or learning to meditate to relax. These unconventional resolutions can improve your quality of life tremendously.
Have Fun!
Even though starting a new habit can be daunting, there’s no need to put pressure on yourself. Try to make your fitness journey fun. If you’re starting a new workout routine, why not ask a friend to be your workout buddy? If you’re starting to jog, why not sign up for a local fun run? And if you have some stumbles along the way to your goals, no need to fret. Just pick yourself up and keep going!
Now, GO GET AFTER IT!
