2017 was a great year. From the rise of the housing market to cryptocurrencies, 2017 had it all. Yet, many of us forget to take care of the most important thing we have in life - our own health.
It is all too common to make new years goals relating to our personal health and overall fitness, but how many of us actually succeed in losing weight and building muscle? The challenge is trying to create a series of goals that are obtainable, and that once achieved will lead to more goals and greater success.
A new year could mean a new you. Let's break down the most effective ways to take control of the New Year.
Start off slow
This one is obvious but still needs to be said. Many people jump right into a new fitness program and a new diet without taking time to make it part of their life.
People that succeed in their new year's goals succeed because they incorporated the new health and fitness routines into their life - slowly.
Jumping right into a workout program without consulting an expert can increase the rate of injury, just as taking on a new meal plan without speaking to a nutritionist can set you back. Start off slow by consulting both experts in health and fitness to ensure your program is progressive and attainable.
Set actionable Goals
Everyone has a different goal for the new year. Some want to save money, while others want to lose weight. Whatever your goal you can benefit from making the goal actionable.
Making an actionable goal requires you to break down the steps into action items. Let's use the example of losing weight. Jane’s goal is to lose 20 lbs in 2018. This is a great goal, yet just saying you want to lose weight without action items can be futile.
Jane’s action items would be:
- lose 1.5 pounds a month
- eat 3 servings of fruit and vegetables every day
- limit processed foods to 1/week
- eat out 1x/week
- substitute a meal for a clean, low-calorie protein shake 4x/week
- intense exercise for 3h/week
- go for a walk every day
These action items enable Jane to obtain her goal by monitoring the progress the entire way. Each goal you have should be broken down into action items, and chances are if you complete these action items you will achieve your goal.
Monitor Progress
This is by far the biggest aspect that most people miss in their new year's attempts. Sales heavy jobs always have targets and the targets are closely monitored. This is done in order to ensure progress is constant - which is exactly what you need in your new year.
Progress can be monitored in a few simple, yet effective ways.
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Weekly weigh in
Most people weigh themselves every morning, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but with long-term goals, we can move to a weekly weigh in so we don't obsess over weight every day.
- Write down your weights, reps and sets
Workout out really is a science - that's why we have Kinesiologist and Exercise Physiologists planning complex exercise routines for Olympic athletes. Take advantage of progress markers by writing down your weight, reps and sets for each workout.
- Diarize
Starting a new health and fitness routine can be difficult and taxing. Taking time to unwind and write down some simple notes about your day can be a great way to track progress without it feeling like work. Two-three months into the new year you can go back and read about all the challenges you overcame boosting your confidence.
Getting started is always the hardest part. In order for you to become successful, you must be consistent with your goals. Progress always follows consistency.
Take control of your goals in the new year by starting off slow, setting actionable goals and monitoring progress.
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