New Year, Same You, but Always Growing

January. New year, same story. The gyms are full and resolutions are on everyone’s mind. “This is my year,” is a phrase we hear at the beginning of every new year. But by the time February rolls around, motivation is harder and harder to find, you find it way too easy to skip another workout, and then before you know it… you have forgotten all about those resolutions you made just only a month ago.

So, what happened? The pursuit of perfection instead of the journey of progress is what happened.

Setting tangible goals, such as lowering body fat percentage, running a certain distance within a certain amount of time, or being able to lift heavier weights in the gym, are important… but without being tied to higher goals, they’re often difficult to achieve.

What do I mean by higher goals? Higher goals help us break through any negative thoughts that keep telling us that we can’t do certain things. They keep us motivated when the couch is calling.

To explore your higher goals, ask yourself these questions:

· How does my fitness routine benefit me outside of the time I spend exercising?

· How do I want to feel when exercising?

· What are my health goals? (sleeping better, lower stress, feeling happier)

· Outside from fitness, what do I want to gain from working out?

Now before we go any further, are you someone who likes to set goals at the beginning of a new year?

Personally, I don’t think there is anything magical that happens on January 1st, but I do however think there is something very powerful and inspiring about taking time to really pray and dream for the new year ahead.

One of the many reasons why I love making goals: when we made it to the end of 2020 I thought “woah, what a crazy year that was.. there is no way I accomplished any of my goals.” But, I looked back on my list and was able to see that I actually accomplished so much!

See! When you set goals, it can help you look back on a year that maybe felt like a total flop and see how much you actually accomplished!

How to Make (and keep) Your Goals for the New Year

Today, I want to share some tips on how to set these goals. We all know how easy it is to say “I want to workout more this year” or “I want to eat healthy”, but today I want to share HOW to set your goals for the new year in a way that allows you to set goals that are personal, measurable, and inspire you to truly be your best self! Let’s get started shall we.

MAKE SMALLER RESOLUTIONS: Creating a resolution that’s too big sets you up for failure. The first key to success is focusing on one goal, not five. Then do a quick reality check. Are you really going to be able to swear off all sweets entirely? Probably not. Limiting eating sweets to a few times a week would be much more achievable.

GET SPECIFIC WITH YOUR GOALS: “Running a marathon” is a great goal. But how? Without some definable parameters, your best intentions can get lost very easily. The more detailed you can be – I am going to add a mile to my run each week – the easier it is to stay focused on what you have to do to succeed. Setting small, specific goals also keeps you encouraged along the way. Each time you meet one, you have reason to celebrate how much you’ve already accomplished.

WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS: If you write down your goals, you will feel a greater sense of accountability and have a much higher chance of accomplishing them.

PLAN YOUR FOLLOWTHROUGH: Your goal should never just be another item on a to-do list. You may be excited at first, but then three weeks in, the excitement may wear off. How can you fix this? Try scheduling a week’s worth of workouts each Sunday so you don’t have to think about what you need to do during the week. If it’s already planned out, you are less likely to skip your weekday workouts.

CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF: Reassessing your goals throughout the weeks and months it takes to get there is key. Once you start making changes, you may find your original goal was a little unrealistic. When you check in, you can tweak the goal as you see fit.

CELEBREATE ALL SUCCESSES: If you are only focusing on the final result, it is easy to feel discouraged when progress seems to be standing still. Rather than waiting until you have lost all 10 pounds, give yourself a mini celebration each time you lose 2 pounds.

REMEMBER THAT IT IS OKAY TO SLIP UP: As long as you get right back on track of course! Did you know that 75% of New Year resolution makers stop just after two months? Crazy. What really matters is how you handle it once you do get off track. There are two types of people in the world: those who give up just after one minor slip up, and then those who acknowledge the mess up and get right back on track. Guess which group is most likely to succeed? One setback should not undo all your efforts. Instead of giving up, figure out how to prevent it from happening again.

And last, but certainly not least – BELIEVE IN YOURSELF: If you know you’re capable of hitting your goals, then believe it wholeheartedly. If not, then you should rethink how you can re-format your goal to something that you are confident you can achieve.

When you reach your goal, it’s time to CELEBRATE!!!! But, it is also time to plan how you will stick with it from here on out. Reaching a healthy weight, eating better, or getting into a regular fitness routine are all healthy lifestyle changes that are worth sticking to for way more than just a year. Use your sense of accomplishment to fuel your healthy habits so you can keep feeling good year after year!