What were you doing when the clock struck midnight just a few weeks ago to usher in 2024? If you’re like me you were already snuggled in bed and most likely fast asleep, only to be awakened by the sound of fireworks!!! Just another reminder that a new year is here whether we are ready or not. I bet a lot of you have already been thinking about the things you want to change for the new year. Or maybe I should say that most of you have already been on a diet and in the gym for a week or so now. Fun Fact: Approximately 46 million Americans start a diet program January 1st. Wow that is a lot of people trying to do the right thing for their health!
So what is it about the new year that makes us want to start a new diet and exercise program, but then we can’t or don’t stick with it? That is a question I have pondered for many years and I believe I know how to answer it and help you not be part of those statistics this year. Let me explain. As a fitness professional working in a gym for almost a decade now, I physically see the influx of those who have the best intentions of getting healthy, come in, join the gym, go balls to wall wide open, and then burn out by month’s end. So why is it that most people don’t stick with their new plan to get healthy? That is the question I would like to try to answer for you. I will also give you some tips on how to come up with a plan that you can build on and stick to so you can finally live your dream of having a healthy, fulfilled life. Or The dream of losing that extra weight you have been carrying for far too long. But please don’t feel bad or beat yourself up over it. You know the old saying, “You don’t know, What you don’t know”? Well give yourself some grace and let’s change all that together.
In my opinion, the start of a new year gives us the feeling of a clean slate, motivating us to make positive changes and break old unhealthy habits. The promise of a healthier, fitter self is a very powerful incentive that drives us to set extreme goals such as exercising 7 days a week and sometimes twice a day, labeling food as good or bad, and then beating ourselves up if we consume anything we have labeled as such. Does that sound all too familiar? Yep to me too. I spent years in a cycle of going on a strict diet, taking out all the foods I thought were bad, only to white knuckle it through being hungry and forcing down foods I hated. Thank God I don’t do that anymore. You know, we all get caught up in that initial burst of motivation that is often fueled by overeating and drinking at many social gatherings and seasonal celebrations. And I am no different! I had my fair share of foods that don’t agree with me this year as well!!! However, this year was different for me. I was tired of being stuck on this same cycle every year of over eating during the holidays and going on a diet at the beginning of the year so this year I made a change. A change that was rather impressive at keeping me from gaining weight during all the celebrations. Make sure you subscribe to my blog and follow me on social media so you don’t miss what I did during the holidays.
Let me ask you a question. How many times have you gotten extremely excited to start something new, like a new program that promises drastic results, you go all in setting unrealistic goals and all the while telling yourself, “I can do it, this time is different!” Yet again, I know how that feels because I have been there myself. Thanks to our extreme goals most of us set ourselves up for failure before we even get started. I know when I first started my health journey all I wanted to do was lose weight and lose it fast! And the truth is I was willing to do whatever it took, even if that meant not eating at all. I still can’t believe some of the things I tried. And yes most of them worked until I went right back to eating the same way and not exercising at all. My point is, I wish I had known how to create a healthy plan for life. It would have saved me so many disappointments and failures. Creating a healthy plan and sticking to it would have also kept me from driving my body into adrenal fatigue and damaging my thyroid. I now have to take a daily prescription medication because of the choices I made to get healthy, that were not healthy at all. My story is just a way for me to help you understand this, when trying to lose weight and put an exercise program into place don’t over do it. Start slow and make changes that are sustainable for life. Look at your schedule and decide what you can realistically do and stick with. No it’s not glamorous at all but it’s sustainable and doable. Can you get to the gym or do a workout 2 times a week? Then start with that. Look at your diet, start with things you know are not serving you. If you drink soda, slowly take yourself off of them, if you eat out 6 days a week go down to 3 and cook at home the other days.
When you start to think about leading a healthy lifestyle it’s easy to see how the lack of planning can derail your efforts very quickly. When I joined my very first fitness class I had no plan of how many times a week I could go or would go. I just went and as it turns out I fell in love with exercise and I have never looked back. But it has been a rocky journey because I believed that I could eat anything I wanted and just exercise more to work it off! That is a lie my friends. And looking back now I can see that if I had worked out a plan for diet and exercise before stepping foot into that very first class I would have been able to overcome bad habits instead of having to dig myself back out after falling right back into them. The short of it – You will gain so much more time not failing if you take the time now to make a plan. If you don’t know how, reach out. I would love to hear what your challenges are and offer my advice.
Another pitfall I see all too much is a short term goal of a wedding or vacation. This type of focus is not placed on your health at all; it’s solely based on the event. But what about after the event? Will you go back to your old ways? I would have to say yes, most people would. The focus of quick fixes rather than sustainable, long term changes leads people to extreme diets and grueling workout schedules. None of which can be sustained for very long, which forces most into burn out. After which most go right back to our old habits. The weight comes back plus some and we are left worse off than when we started. I think it’s safe to say we need a plan. It does not need to be perfect and it can be adjusted, but have a plan.
With all the things pushing you to make a New Year resolution it’s no wonder 80 percent of us that started this new journey will not continue it past the end of the month. Now that you know all the things that can drive you to quit, let’s go over all the tips I have put together to help you build a sustainable healthy lifestyle you can live with.
- Know your why:
Write down your why. It could be you want to lose weight, get back into your clothes, look slimmer, feel better, live longer without major health issues, play with your grandkids, do a marathon, it’s your why so be proud of it!!! Put it on a sticky note so you can see it daily.
- Change your mind:
If you have ever started any program you know your mindset can either make you or break you when it comes to being successful. I use podcasts, music, positive talk, positive quotes and, my why, to keep my mind in the right place to keep moving and eating healthy daily. Let’s face it- motivation will get you started but consistency will keep you going. Being consistent is going to come from your mind set and how you think about your health journey.
- Set realistic goals:
This is where most get confused. Let’s take weight loss as your goal. And let’s say you have 50 lbs to lose. Most people would start by setting the goal at 50 lbs to lose. But that does not work and here is why. You know you have 50 lbs to lose and you have known it for sometime but the weight is still on your body, so if just knowing you needed to lose weight worked, you would have lost it by now! Right? We have to get detailed with this goal. For example, if my goal is to lose 50 lbs. I would do that by changing some eating habits slowly and going to the gym. That example not only tells you what you want to do but also tells you how you will do it. Now use your goals and create a plan to make your goals a reality.
- Make a plan to match your goals:
First, don’t be afraid to ask for help from a professional. We can help you stick to your goal, get there faster, hold you accountable, and teach you how to make it a lifetime journey. But if you still want to give it a go on your own here is what I would do. Look at your nutrition first, where can you make small but healthy changes to your daily fuel. Write out your meals by the day. Put your grocery list together and go shopping for only those items. Don’t bring junk food into your home. Decide to allow yourself one meal a week to have anything you want and stick to that. Use an app for tracking to make sure you are eating enough food. Eating too little can do harm that will cause you to have major health issues in the future and hinder your progress now as well. Weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs a week is what you should strive for. If you have metabolic issues I would focus on lossing 1 lb a week so you don’t put more stress on your system. Now that you have that plan in place it’s time to figure out when you will work out. Decide how many times a week you will workout. If you have not worked out at all or not in a long time I would suggest starting with 2 to 3 times a week for 30 to 45 minutes each. Focus on strength training and then try to hit 10,000 steps daily. Look at your schedule and block out time for your workouts and planning your meals and then a time to meal prep for the week to make it easy. Nutrition first then workouts. Your food will dictate your workout results if your body is metabolically healthy and you don’ have hormone issues. Those are subjects for another day.
- Focus on long-term results:
Know that you didn’t put the weight on overnight and it will not come off overnight. Focus on the long term goal. Lets use weight loss as your goal example again. You can calculate about 1 lb a week for weight loss, assuming you are doing everything correctly. So realistically it is going to take 50 weeks to lose 50 lbs. And that is a very rough estimate. Some will lose it faster than others. Just know you are unique and your body will go at its own pace so enjoy the journey and find something to celebrate and be proud of everyday. You will make it to your goal and you will be healthier and smarter for doing it the correct way.
- Make a promise to yourself and be consistent:
Consistency is going to be what helps you win and stay true to yourself during this process.
Just know that your New Year’s resolution to get healthier is a great resolution, but the path to lasting change is lined with so many challenges. I hope by understanding some of the challenges that come along with chang, it will help you to be more gracious to yourself if you fall off the wagon. Just keep in mind, we all make mistakes and we all mess up, it does not mean it’s the end. Take note of what went wrong so you will be prepared next time that situation comes up. Approach this New Year’s resolution by planning and focusing on the long term goal of health and you will increase your goal of lasting change. Embrace the journey my friend. You are worth a life of health, energy, and vitality.
I would be greatly honored to hear from you with anything you want me to write about or teach on. I am here to help you live your best life.
I Believe In You!