#2 Think Better Nutrition Habits, Not DIET: I’m not going to slam the popular diets that are making headlines right now. I will let the dieticians and nutritionists do that. Nutrition is a hard subject. There are many factors that go into it. What we can all agree on is that sugars, high processed foods, binge eating, overeating (good and bad fads) isn’t going to lead to success. My advice to you is to start journaling for the next week exactly what you consume. That means everything and don’t lie to yourself and not write something in. You might be surprised of the amount of food you eat in a course of the day. You might notice for example; you drink a lot of soda and juices that can be decreased or eliminated and swapped with something else. You might realize that you’re not getting enough vegetables in. By journaling, you can see where you’re good and bad at and make the appropriate changes.

Also, when it comes to all the diet fads right now, they all have one thing in common. That’s creating a calorie deficit to ultimately lose weight and the reverse if you’re trying to put some weight on. Yes, you can gain weight by eating more chicken than what you’re supposed to.

#3 Think of This As A Lifestyle Change, Not a Quick Fix: Your health and fitness aren’t quick fixes. If you’re new to fitness, I would come to the realization that you’re going to need to work on this your whole life. That’s not a bad thing either. Looking for quick fixes is a recipe for disaster, failure, and sometime injury. Besides, quick fixes aren’t sustainable either. You won’t learn anything from the process, and you’ll go right back to where you were or worse. We have a few PhDs that are members at our gym. We always joke that it didn’t take a year to get their degree. Don’t expect getting healthier to be any different.

#4 Pick ONE Program And Stick With It: When your goal is S.M.A.R.T, you'll be able to filter out the junk. This allows you to be more focus or train with intent. Doing more does not mean better. Working out 3 days a week, going to bootcamp the other 3 days, doing DVD workouts the other 2 days, training for an ultra marathon the other reaming 7 hours.......you get the point, it's not going to work. Pick a program and stick with it.

#5 Don’t Compare Yourself To Others>> To be honest, this is where most people go wrong. With social media, everyone compares themselves to others. I must admit, when I struggled with my fitness and other goals for that matter, I found myself comparing to others. My advice to you is to not get on social media and see what others are doing and how they’re doing. Worry about yourself and only yourself.

#6 Beware of the Shiny Object>> There is such a thing called the Bright Shiny Object Syndrome. That means getting derailed by doing something else or getting totally thrown off course. Again, I am guilty of this. I am guilty of this when I’m looking for quick fixes or I compare myself to others. Stick with the plan. If the plan’s not working, make sure that it’s not YOU that’s not working. Lots of times, when the plan isn’t working, you can look at your behavior in the previous weeks and notice you weren’t doing the necessary things. Also, make sure you give the plan some time to do its job. That’s why using S.M.A.R.T when it comes to making your goals is important.

I really hope this helps you get ready for the 2022 year. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you realize that it’s going to take some work and probably a few sacrifices. I hope you have a great 2022 year and hit your goals!!