By David Cozzens
Its a brand new year, and its time to become a better, healthier you. Millions of Americans set a New Years Resolution that is related to Fitness, but 92% of them fall short and quit early, hoping to try again next year. Here are 10 ways to make sure this is the year you reach your goal.
1) Set a Tangible Goal
When I first sit down with someone and ask what their goal is, I hear "I want to be healthy" quite frequently. I then ask them to elaborate, and the details don't go much further. Wanting to be healthy is fantastic, but it is relative from person to person. How do you know when you reached the point of being "healthy?" Can you set a time frame to reach it? There is very little information to hold on to, as well as keep you driven and motivated to reach. Instead, try to set a tangible goal that you know you can reach. This will help you stay motivated and accountable.
2) Make Sure The Goal Is Realistic
If your goal is to lose 50 pounds, or add 100 pounds to your bench press in a few months you're setting yourself up for disappointment and failure. Realize that a fitness goal is a marathon, not a sprint. If you're goal is weight loss, a healthy number to shoot for is to lose 1 to 2 pounds of body fat per week.
3) Sustainability is Key
Whatever your plan is to reach your goal, make sure it is something that you can sustain. If you didn't touch the gym in 2016, but want to do a 5 am workout 5 days a week before work, cut out all unhealthy food, and do a evening run after work, you're going to burn yourself out. Understand that humans are creatures of habit. Slowly change unhealthy habits with healthy habits, and build on it month to month. You don't need to cut out everything you enjoy in order to reach your goal.
4) Talk to a Personal Trainer
T he best way to make a tangible, realistic goal, and devise a sustainable program to reach it is to talk to an expert on the subject. Some Personal Trainers will give you a full hour for free to sit down with you and devise a plan. During this time you can ask any questions you may have regarding reaching your goal. If you are interested and are located near Brea, CA, you can sign up for a free PT session with Train with Dave here
5) Do What you Enjoy
Hate walking on a treadmill for an hour? Don't feel obligated to do it. Choose a program or activity you enjoy the most and stick to it.
6) Avoid Food Avoidance and Detox Diets
All food consists of Protein, Carbohydrates, and/or Fat. Your body has a use for all of these. Don't try to cut out a whole macro nutrient or food group. Doing this can be extremely unhealthy. Instead, have the unhealthier foods in moderation. As for detox diets, your liver detoxes your body 24/7, detox diets are unnecessary and usually do more harm than good.
7) Sounds too good to be true? It probably is.
Quick fixes fail 100% of the time. If you see an ad to lose "10 pounds in 10 days," it is a scam. 1 pound of body fat is 3500 calories. These quick fixes will more than likely make you lose muscle mass and water weight. The loss in muscle mass will make your metabolism slower, and you will gain all of the water weight back. This usually results in an end weight that is higher than where you started. And no, you are not going to burn over 1000 calories an hour, don't believe the hype.
8) Lift Weights
Do you want to;
lose weight? Strength Train.
Gain weight? Strength Train.
Get stronger? Strength Train.
Sleep Better? Strength Train.
Feel happier? Strength Train.
More Energy? Strength Train.
Have a Healthier Hearth? Strength Train.
Increase Flexibility? Strength Train.
Feel More Stable? Strength Train.
Did I miss anything?
9) Find A Workout Partner Or A Support Group
A workout partner will help you stay accountable to your goal, and vise versa. This can also make the workouts you do much more enjoyable. Find a group of friends and family that will help you stay committed to your goal.
10) Focus on Body Composition
The scale doesn't give you the full picture. If you started exercising and gained 5 pounds of muscle mass and lost 5 pounds of body fat, the scale will show no change. Don't let this discourage you. Use the mirror, how your clothes fit, as well as how you feel to track progress. You can even ask a personal trainer to take your weight, body fat, and circumference measurements (I would be happy to do it for you).
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Thanks for reading, if you have any comments or questions feel free to send me a message via Facebook, Instagram, or through my website.
Best Regards,
David Cozzens
