At this time of year, you have eaten way too much, and you have this guilt within that you need to do something to make up for the over consumption.

New Year is coming, and you hear the whispers of ‘I want to get fit’, ‘I want to lose weight’ etc and you start to think along the same lines.

If this is you, do it for the right reasons and not because everyone else is doing it.

So,

What do you do?

You buy new gym clothes

You prepare to visit the gym that you haven’t visited for a while, perhaps since last January. Potentially, you have joined a new gym.

A bunch of cook/recipe books have been ordered and are due for delivery any day now.

Your motivation is high, and you are keen to get started and see some amazing results from all the hard work you are about to put in.

The first couple of weeks you feel amazing, you have more energy, you feel fitter and you are buzzing.

Then it hits, you are constantly starving, you are shattered, you are grumpy and on edge.

The visits to the gym decrease, your motivation wanes, you find yourself snacking on junk food.

Sound familiar?

This is very common and the main thing you are setting yourself up for is FAILURE.

Now, being motivated is great and I am not trying to discourage you, all I ask is that you have a plan of action before starting.

How long will your motivation last if you don’t see any results and the changes you make aren’t sustainable?

Well… what should I do, I hear you ask?

Set goals: What do you want to achieve? Make sure to have SMART goals so that you can track progress.

If I was to change ‘I want to lose weight’ to ‘I want to drive a car’, you would have some questions.

Where am I driving to?

How long will it take?

What roads am I driving?

To name a few.

You wouldn’t just jump in a car and drive around aimlessly, hoping that you end up where you want to be. The same applies for goals.

Change one thing at a time: Don’t overhaul your whole routine and expect it to ‘click’. Change one thing at a time and allow that to become part of your routine and once this happens, change something else.

Forming a habit is what you are trying to achieve, and this doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

 

“Life’s a journey not a destination”.

– Aerosmith

 

Your schedule: Any goals/changes that you make, make sure that they fit into your weekly schedule. There’s no point in setting a goal that would require you to be in the gym 6 days a week when you only have time for 3 days.

Schedule in exercise over a week as you would do any other appointments and stick to it.

If you take only one thing away, take this.

If you put money into a savings account, over time your savings will grow, and you will have more money. You wouldn’t save for one month and expect to be rich?

It is the same for your fitness.

If you start to exercise, over time you will become fitter/leaner, and you will see your results. Exercising for one month will not get you to where you want to be.

Thanks for reading and good luck!

Stuart.