Every January, thousands of people flock to the gym to start their New Year’s Resolutions. It could be fat loss (usually number 1), to run a 5k, or just start exercising. They go to the gym every day and start the latest diet. Sometimes, they’ll even go out and spend a fortune on supplements to assist in the process. Everything is going good until about 4-6 weeks into the journey and everything falls apart. Why is that? I think a lot of the times people fail at their goals is because they don’t have a clear vision to start with. Losing 20 pounds in a month isn’t a realistic goal. When losing 20 pounds doesn’t happen, he or she gives up and starts again the following year. Don’t let this happen to you this year. Here are 6 tips to help you achieve your goals for 2018.
- Have a Clear Vision: Would you go on a roadtrip without your GPS? Of course not. Where do you want to be a year from now? Create a clear vision before starting any program. Without a clear vision, you have nothing to strive for.
- Break Your Goals Up into 3 Months: I always like breaking up big goals into smaller increments. For example, if you wanted to lose 40 pounds this year, break it down with a 3-month goal first. From here, you can create better action steps and plan. In those 3 months, what are you going to need to do to achieve this? How many time a week will you need to train? What’s my nutrition look like in that 3-month period?
- Nutrition: This is the most important tip I can give you and it’s pretty self-explanatory. I think it’s important to realize that the best training program in the world will not beat poor eating choices. Start tracking what you’re eating by writing it in a food log. You might be surprised how much or little you eat. Replace the chips, cakes, and candy bars with better choices. Instead of drinking soda, drink water or make your iced tea. What I have found is that people don’t realize the amount of sugar that they consume daily. Take notice, we did not mention anything about dieting. Dieting is not sustainable. Making the right food choices and the amount you eat is sustainable throughout the year. Yes, you will slip up. Don’t get discouraged and quit. Just get back on track.
- Picking the Right Exercises: Sorry, bicep curls, bosu ball squat, and leg extensions do not fall on the list. You want to pick exercises that give you the most bang for your buck. Variations of squatting, hip hinging, pressing, and pulling exercises use multiple muscle groups that will burn more calories and build strength. We like to finish each session with a metabolic circuit as well to get the heart rate up and calories burning.
- Sleep: I feel this is the most overlooked part in people achieving any fitness goals. You need to sleep! Not getting enough sleep will raise cortisol levels. Higher cortisol levels can make you crave sweeter and fattier foods. 7-8 hours of interrupted sleep is plenty.
- Drink Water: Drinking more water will elevate your metabolism and improve your fat burning rate. It can also help fight off sickness and other diseases. If you don’t drink water at all, make small steps today. I personally try to drink half my bodyweight per day but you can drink less. I’m not asking you to walk around with a gallon of water all day. Keep your favorite water bottle with you and sip throughout the day.
Start the New Year right this year! Take these 6 tips and run with it.
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