The first month of 2017 is in the books. Chances are you have already failed at least one of your New Year’s Resolutions.
But wait… There are still 11 months left of 2017, so you can still make this a great year for your health and fitness.
Here are some tips on how to get it done:
- Set achievable goals
Most things are easier said than done. The same goes for your health and fitness goals. Do not set yourself up to fail by setting goals that are too hard to reach.
You need to be able to walk before you can run, and to expect that you will be superman or superwoman just because it’s a new year, is not realistic. If you set your goals to high, you are bound to fail, and you are probably going to find yourself in the same situation come next New Years Eve.
Therefore; set attractive goals, but don’t make them too hard. It should feel like an accomplishment to achieve your goals, but you don’t have to walk on the moon.
- One day at a time
Stay strong, and don’t give up even though the first few weeks are going to be hard. It takes about three weeks to change habits, but I promise it will get easier if you get past these first few weeks. So don’t rush it.
As I mentioned earlier, don’t expect to be killing it in the gym in the beginning, but rather take baby steps. Cut out the things you don’t want in your diet, one thing at a time. The same goes for your exercise. Start slow and then ‘up it’ as things get easier. If half a mile is enough for you the first week, then good job! Next week maybe you shoot for 1 mile and so on.
- A little progress is still progress
Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you have a goal to lose a pound a week, and you only lost 0.3 of a pound, you still lost 0,3 of a pound lost! That is still progress; be happy with that. Next week push hard again, and see if you can lose that pound. If the scale doesn’t move over a period of time, or your goal is to get stronger and you don’t see a change after weeks, reflect on what you have done over the last few weeks, and see what you can do better. Losing weight and getting stronger are simple physics; you eat less than you spend more energy and you will lose weight. You push your body outside your comfort zone when you exercise and your body will adapt. It’s really that easy, or hard, depending on how you want to look at it.
- No all or nothing
Last tip, and this might be the one that I see most people break. It’s not all or nothing, meaning that if you ate something you shouldn’t have eaten or you missed a workout, it doesn’t mean that you can now go completely rogue and give up on your goals. So you had a bad day, or a bad meal, or you missed a workout. Forget about that and see what you can do to make the next meal, or the next day better. One calorie burned or eaten is not going to change much, but it is what you consistently do over time. It is true that your mindset should be that every calorie counts, but if you messed up, move forward. Fix the problem; tomorrow is a new day.
Stay strong everybody, you can do it. 2017 is yours! Give yourself credit when you are progressing, and reward yourself with something fun when you are doing well. If you mess up, just get back on that horse. Rome was not built in a day, and neither will your new YOU be. It’s a process, but if you stick with it, you can do whatever you set your mind too!
