New Year’s Fitness Goals: How do I start?

Its that time of year again.

Now that the holiday’s are past us, we begin the new year high on ambition and motivation to a fresh start.

This also the time of year where many people will decide this is their year to get healthy and fit. I’ve always wondered why people wait until the new year to start their journey to get fit? There are 365 days in a year and any day is a great day to start, but I am not here to write about your start day. I am here to give you some tips and suggestions on how to start and stay consistent with your new year health goals.

I’ve seen too many times at the beginning of the year when people get too ambitious with their health goals and find themselves in the middle of March feeling defeated and already thinking about starting next year. They either run out of steam, lose interest, not seeing the results they were hoping to have, plateau, or get injured. We have all been there (and I have too). Here are the steps I give to someone when I get asked, “ How Do I start?”.

• Set Goals and set “mini” goals-

  I am sure you have heard this many times and often those goals are not met. I’m here to say that’s okay. You have to remember, this is a journey not a sprint. Failure is going to happen. And when it happens, you must go back to the drawing board and try again. I encourage all of my clients to set goals and set small goals to get there. Breaking down the big goal can help you from being overwhelmed. So set small attainable daily-weekly-monthly goals. Start chipping away at the small goals and before you know it you will be where you want to be.

• Schedule your workouts-

  You have probable have heard this many times too. Someone once told me that, “if you don’t write it down, its only a dream.” What are you waiting for, write it OUT! Now, no need to make this complicated. If you have experience writing out exercise programs, great! If you don’t have experience, don’t worry. Start by simply scheduling out your workouts. Block off time for you to workout, walk or whatever activity you do. This way you prioritize your workouts and you schedule around it.

• Start Slow and Easy

  You have set a goal. You have blocked off time for your workouts. You have set mini goals on the calendar.

  Now what?

  It’s time to get to action.

  But How?

  Start Slow and Easy. Whenever I get into a rut, I start by choosing one exercise and a set of reps to do every day (This is a Mini Goal).

  • Choose an exercises or activities that are related to your goal. I typically start with push ups as my “starting” exercise. Push ups is an exercise you don’t need any equipment or a lot of space to do.

  • Choose a “Goldilocks” rep range. This rep range should be something you can do everyday without feeling debilitating sore and something you can accomplish in 10-15 minutes. I usually start with a 100 reps and break that down to 4 - 10 sets.

  • Once you have completed a week of starting slow and easy, add just a little bit more. I usually add another exercise and keep the same amount of reps. I continue my 100 push ups per day and add 100 squats. Most likely doing a 100 push ups and 100 squats per day are not going to get you to your goal, but starting slow and easy helps build consistency, confidence and is a great way to start with out putting yourself at risk from injury or burnout.

Remember this is a journey, not a sprint. Results come with patience and consistency. Stick to your plan, trust the process and keep at it!

If you need help getting started with your health and fitness goals, click here to schedule a evaluation/assessment with me!