3 - 2 - 1 and there it is, midnight! Happy New Year!!! You look around the room for that significant other so that you can plant that first kiss of the new year on their lips and what is the next thing we do? Start with the list of New Years Resolutions..... that same list that has been haunting and taunting us for years and years. The list that seems to always grow and NEVER shrinks, but wait, isn't that #1 on your list? TO SHRINK!!!
We have all done it and we have also ALL failed to stick to that "new you" that our resolution list is sure to create. "Happy New Year!" that greeting will be said and heard for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year gets underway. But I pose this question: What is so happy about a new year that you are already in your mind sure to fail at all those resolutions? Nothing is happy about that so I'm going to try my best to walk you through some tips, pointers and motivation to set yourself up for SUCCESS this new years.
On the list of top 10 New Years resolutions fitting in the gym was number 2, taming the bulge was number 3, quit smoking is number 4, and quit drinking is number 6. So with 4 out of the top ten geared towards our lifestyles and feeling better what REALLY stops us from following through on these resolutions? It only makes sense that when you wake up bleary-eyed on the first day of a new year - or - decade - resolutions to "cut back" and " moderate" seem both an excellent idea and an impossibly hazy dream. But don't let them derail you! Not this year!
These are my top 5 ways to succeed this year and finally, once and for all kick those bad habits to the curb:
1. Don't Kid Yourself
We all need to know the difference between enjoying ourselves and self-medicating. Don't try and fool yourself! We each know what we are individually capable of achieving and we need to make sure that we are not trying to "Keep up with the Joneses" when it comes to making these commitments to ourselves. We have all heard that everything is better in moderation..... well lets apply that here. Successful moderators set a limit for what is too much and stick to it - no matter what! Realistically why can't we all do that? Decide what is too much chocolate for the goals you have set, what is enough time in front of the T.V instead of at the gym? Did we really need that second helping or did we eat it becasue it tasted good? I am sure that all of those sound familiar because we have all used them.
Have a cookie a day if that is what you have deemed acceptable for you. But if you cheat by having " just one more", know that you are only cheating yourself and exacerbating the problem. Choose healthy options for your groceries, don't kid yourself that you can have all that junk food in the house and not eat it. Why are we always setting ourselves up for failure? People are so often consumed with what they eat between Christmas and New Years, when they should really be worried about what they eat between New Years and Christmas!
2. Quit Cold Turkey - Temporarily
Who hasn't heard that if you need to quit something then just do it "cold turkey" ? Well it is proven that an initial period of complete absintence can make it easier for people to moderate behavior by eliminating the habitual, automatic aspect of the unwanted activity. If we think of this in terms of giving up that favorite snack food, we need to look at the fact that if you replace that bad habit with a good one, say an apple or another piece of fruit then it is guaranteed that within a few weeks of that abstinence you will NOT be missing that "favourite" snack but be newly accustomed to the new healthy version. Challenge yourself! Try replacing one bad food habit this week with a healthy option and do this for the next 4 weeks and I will promise you that you will be not only proud of yourself for this accomplishment but also rid of the past bad habit.
3. Use Meditation
Being mindful may involve traditional meditation, in which you sit quietly and observe your thoughts and breathing without judgment. But here, it is also used to focus awareness on thoughts and feelings that lead to unwanted behavior. Simply recognizing the triggers to relapse can help you choose not to give into them. Do you eat when you are watching T.V? Well then common sense says TURN THE T.V OFF!! Make a conscious effort to diagnose what triggers your poor health choices and be aware of them, so you can avoid them.
Try "urge surfing." It involves being mindful that a craving is like a wave, it rises to a peak, then falls. This happens whether you yeild to the urge or not, though most people erroneously think their cravings will escalate endlessly unless they give in. When in fact succombing to cravings only reinforces them.
4. Don't Try to Scare Yourself
The pleasure of victory is a better incentive than the agony of defeat. Reward yourself for sticking to your limits. For instance, every time you resist that urge to indulge in something bad, reward yourself with a dollar towards a new outfit, do the same for going to the gym or bootcamp, pay yourself. Trust me before you know it you will have a closet full of new clothes, and guess what? They will all be a NEW SMALLER SIZE!! How is that for motivation?!
5. Surround Yourself
Consciously and unconsciously people tend to imitate those around them, so surround yourself with friends and family that can also be motivators and role models. Make sure the people you surround yourself with are the people who look and act the way you would like to. Take me for instance, I have recently agreed to run a 50km ultra marathon through the Lethbridge coulees. Now I will make it clear that although I am a trainer and in the fitness industry, a runner I AM NOT! But I have surrounded myself with a training partner who can motivate me to do it. I now get on the treadmill and run those KMS and dare I say that I am starting to enjoy it?! This is exactly what I mean when I say to surround yourself. I know that if I had not put the proper people around me this goal would not be met, but I have no doubts now that it will be.
Don't go out for dinner with those friends that you rarely see but like to indulge on everything on the menu. Instead grab a water and stroll the mall and chat with a friend that has fitness goals in mind also. Boot campers are always great people to surround yourself with, they obviously have the same goals in mind as you if they are showing up day after day, GETTING FIT!
Don't let your new years resolutions take over your life, embrace them into becoming a part of your life, like the new you.... I like to think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the years. Allow yourself to positively change one thing that you do every day and before you know it you will start feeling better and moving better. And that is all in addition to hitting those goals that we have set year after year. Rather that obsessing with what you shouldn't be doing, think about things you should be doing. This distraction will help you curb bad habits and help form new ones.
Let this year be the year you succeed and let me and 403 Fitness help take you there.
Happy New Year and Happy New You!!!
We have all done it and we have also ALL failed to stick to that "new you" that our resolution list is sure to create. "Happy New Year!" that greeting will be said and heard for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year gets underway. But I pose this question: What is so happy about a new year that you are already in your mind sure to fail at all those resolutions? Nothing is happy about that so I'm going to try my best to walk you through some tips, pointers and motivation to set yourself up for SUCCESS this new years.
On the list of top 10 New Years resolutions fitting in the gym was number 2, taming the bulge was number 3, quit smoking is number 4, and quit drinking is number 6. So with 4 out of the top ten geared towards our lifestyles and feeling better what REALLY stops us from following through on these resolutions? It only makes sense that when you wake up bleary-eyed on the first day of a new year - or - decade - resolutions to "cut back" and " moderate" seem both an excellent idea and an impossibly hazy dream. But don't let them derail you! Not this year!
These are my top 5 ways to succeed this year and finally, once and for all kick those bad habits to the curb:
1. Don't Kid Yourself
We all need to know the difference between enjoying ourselves and self-medicating. Don't try and fool yourself! We each know what we are individually capable of achieving and we need to make sure that we are not trying to "Keep up with the Joneses" when it comes to making these commitments to ourselves. We have all heard that everything is better in moderation..... well lets apply that here. Successful moderators set a limit for what is too much and stick to it - no matter what! Realistically why can't we all do that? Decide what is too much chocolate for the goals you have set, what is enough time in front of the T.V instead of at the gym? Did we really need that second helping or did we eat it becasue it tasted good? I am sure that all of those sound familiar because we have all used them.
Have a cookie a day if that is what you have deemed acceptable for you. But if you cheat by having " just one more", know that you are only cheating yourself and exacerbating the problem. Choose healthy options for your groceries, don't kid yourself that you can have all that junk food in the house and not eat it. Why are we always setting ourselves up for failure? People are so often consumed with what they eat between Christmas and New Years, when they should really be worried about what they eat between New Years and Christmas!
2. Quit Cold Turkey - Temporarily
Who hasn't heard that if you need to quit something then just do it "cold turkey" ? Well it is proven that an initial period of complete absintence can make it easier for people to moderate behavior by eliminating the habitual, automatic aspect of the unwanted activity. If we think of this in terms of giving up that favorite snack food, we need to look at the fact that if you replace that bad habit with a good one, say an apple or another piece of fruit then it is guaranteed that within a few weeks of that abstinence you will NOT be missing that "favourite" snack but be newly accustomed to the new healthy version. Challenge yourself! Try replacing one bad food habit this week with a healthy option and do this for the next 4 weeks and I will promise you that you will be not only proud of yourself for this accomplishment but also rid of the past bad habit.
3. Use Meditation
Being mindful may involve traditional meditation, in which you sit quietly and observe your thoughts and breathing without judgment. But here, it is also used to focus awareness on thoughts and feelings that lead to unwanted behavior. Simply recognizing the triggers to relapse can help you choose not to give into them. Do you eat when you are watching T.V? Well then common sense says TURN THE T.V OFF!! Make a conscious effort to diagnose what triggers your poor health choices and be aware of them, so you can avoid them.
Try "urge surfing." It involves being mindful that a craving is like a wave, it rises to a peak, then falls. This happens whether you yeild to the urge or not, though most people erroneously think their cravings will escalate endlessly unless they give in. When in fact succombing to cravings only reinforces them.
4. Don't Try to Scare Yourself
The pleasure of victory is a better incentive than the agony of defeat. Reward yourself for sticking to your limits. For instance, every time you resist that urge to indulge in something bad, reward yourself with a dollar towards a new outfit, do the same for going to the gym or bootcamp, pay yourself. Trust me before you know it you will have a closet full of new clothes, and guess what? They will all be a NEW SMALLER SIZE!! How is that for motivation?!
5. Surround Yourself
Consciously and unconsciously people tend to imitate those around them, so surround yourself with friends and family that can also be motivators and role models. Make sure the people you surround yourself with are the people who look and act the way you would like to. Take me for instance, I have recently agreed to run a 50km ultra marathon through the Lethbridge coulees. Now I will make it clear that although I am a trainer and in the fitness industry, a runner I AM NOT! But I have surrounded myself with a training partner who can motivate me to do it. I now get on the treadmill and run those KMS and dare I say that I am starting to enjoy it?! This is exactly what I mean when I say to surround yourself. I know that if I had not put the proper people around me this goal would not be met, but I have no doubts now that it will be.
Don't go out for dinner with those friends that you rarely see but like to indulge on everything on the menu. Instead grab a water and stroll the mall and chat with a friend that has fitness goals in mind also. Boot campers are always great people to surround yourself with, they obviously have the same goals in mind as you if they are showing up day after day, GETTING FIT!
Don't let your new years resolutions take over your life, embrace them into becoming a part of your life, like the new you.... I like to think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the years. Allow yourself to positively change one thing that you do every day and before you know it you will start feeling better and moving better. And that is all in addition to hitting those goals that we have set year after year. Rather that obsessing with what you shouldn't be doing, think about things you should be doing. This distraction will help you curb bad habits and help form new ones.
Let this year be the year you succeed and let me and 403 Fitness help take you there.
Happy New Year and Happy New You!!!
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