Happy Holidays everyone...and Happy New Year!
It's that time of year again....when we wind down from the holidays and ramp up for the New Year to come. We can all agree that 2020 threw us many curve balls, and most of us are eager for a new start, a new beginning, a new year! Which brings me to the topic of New Year Resolutions.
New Year resolutions...do they work? Are they realistic? Do we have the same one every January?
Instead of bashing New Year resolutions, or praising them for that matter, I'm going to offer up some helpful hints on how to put your health and fitness resolutions into perspective, and make them just a bit more achievable.
The most common resolution each year is weight loss, or more specifically, fat loss. We all want to trim that extra fat off of our bodies, and January seems like the perfect time to get to it. But here's the thing, we think of our resolution as a BIG thing. Meaning, if we want to get lean, we need to lose ALL of our body fat. That could be 20 pounds to some, and 100 for others. So instead of making the resolution so daunting, let's think of this way. Let's make the resolution something like this...."I'm going to start my fat loss program in January, and my first goal is to lose 5 pounds in the next 4 weeks". And let's follow it up with a plan, such as a ZONE meeting with Coach Jon or Coach Paul, or a free FUEL consult with Coach Natalie. Or just rereading one of my earlier Box Talk episodes regarding smart eating (all earlier Box Talks are on our website). Start the year having an achievable goal and a plan to help get you there.
Others might want to increase their lifts. So let's say I want to increase my Snatch from 155 to 185. Instead of having a resolution of having a 185 snatch, I would simply have a resolution of increasing my snatch by 5 pounds. Sounds kind of lame right? LOL. Ask around...adding 5 pounds to your snatch is NOT an easy thing to do, and can take quite a while to do it. So it is not lame at all. Ok, now the plan. Take the free OLY class on Thursday night. Get with a coach and do an EVAL on your lifting. Stay after class and work on bar path progressions....do hundreds of repetitions with an empty barbell. Trust me, this stuff works.
Another common resolution that I often hear is "I want to do a competition this coming year.". This is probably my favorite one. Because it is so accessible. In "normal" years, there are competitions monthly, if not weekly. We usually host two at our very own gym. So I love hearing this. And am super supportive of it. If you have never done a CrossFit competition, or a Spartan, or run a race, you really should. It's an amazing feeling of accomplishment no matter what level. And as before, let's start the resolution with a plan. Speak to a coach. Research social media for a local competition. Formulate a plan of training for specific types of competitions. And then train hard!
So here's the thing....I love resolutions, but I love them when they are speedy and well planned. Dragging out a long term year plan usually just doesn't work. So make them in smaller increments and allow them to have a plan attached to them. A simple, but well thought out plan.
If this made a light bulb go off in your head, feel free to get with me to plan your very own New Year Resolution....I am always here for you.
Till next time, pop the champagne and have a safe and Happy New Year.
