7 Tricks for a Successful Resolution
It is a New Year and many of you are looking to become a “New You”. That’s great! I’m sure many of you have made a Resolution (And hopefully are signing up for the New Years Quest Giveaway!), but are you sticking to them or still struggling to start?
I strive to become a better me each and every day. Being in the Fitness industry has allowed me to help motivate, inspire, help and educate others on what they can do to achieve their goals. I suggest listing GOALS you want to accomplish instead of a Resolution. Setting a goal not only keeps you motivated but it keeps you on track. Each morning when I wake up I like to say “A new day has been given, and it’s a New Day closer to my Goal.” What ever your goal may be; stepping on stage, trimming down some of your weight, increase your bench press or squat, curl more, or simply look better and be healthier, WRITE those goals down! Have a plan of action, be specific and set a time line. A time line keeps you focused as an arrow and keeps you on track. It can also be used as a fuel to get you fired up first thing in the morning when you read them.
To help you on your Quest, here are 7 tips to setting and keeping your goals.
Goal Setting Tips
1– Be Patient: When you decide it’s time to improve your life, increase an inch of your biceps or get those abs to pop it will take time for you to see those results. It is a process of consistency, hard work and dedication. Just because you don’t see them right away doesn’t mean you won’t achieve it. It’s like everything in life, for the good things we want we must work HARD. But once we do there is no better feeling. Each day you wake up, it’s a New Day closer to your Goal. Get after it & keep pushing, it PAYS OFF!!!
# 2 – Nutrition: It ultimately plays the biggest role in ones physical success. Accounting for about 80% of your bodies total outcome, a sound nutrition regimen is essential. Supplements also work to increase your bodies own natural processes. When implemented into your already sound nutrition regimen, you can expect to see even greater success in your bodies physical outcome! # 3 – Training Programs: When you go on a “program” to lose bodyfat, you may set yourself up for failure. A program implies an endpoint, which is when most people return to their previous habits. If you want to lose fat and keep it off, make changes that you can live with indefinitely. Don’t over-restrict calories, and find an exercise program that adequately challenges you, provides progression and offers sufficient variety so that you can maintain it for life.
# 4 – Train with a Friend: Work out with a new friend. Have someone join you for your workout if you train alone. If you train with a partner, ask them if you could bring in a third person. The third party could inject new energy into your workout. If you’re smart, you’ll invite someone more experienced than you, and you may learn all sorts of new exercise techniques/variations. This will make your journey fun & effective.
# 5 – Remove the “Stash”: REMOVE all the junk food from your home (you know where you’ve got it stashed!) and replace with healthy foods that you enjoy eating! Believe me, when it’s out-of-sight, it’s out-of-mind. Another coping skill to apply is the substitution of bad foods with foods that aren’t as bad. For instance, instead of consuming a root beer float with real ice cream and root beer, use diet root beer and fat-free frozen yogurt. Instead of eating chips, eat veggies. Get it? You can also avoid temptation by limiting how often you go out to eat. Another thing you can do to ward off cravings is to make sure you’re eating every few hours and drink plenty of water.
# 6 – Get those Abs to pop: You typically train in specific rep ranges, such as 8–10 or 12–15 reps per set. Yet when doing bodyweight ab exercises, you can’t alter the weight to match a predetermined number of reps. Therefore, rather than doing crunches or hanging leg raises for a set number of reps, do as many reps as possible until you come close to failure. Challenging yourself = Better Results.
# 7 – Reward Day: If you are on a strict diet then there will be times when you experience uncontrollable hunger or cravings for foods that are not on your diet. To help this situation, it is wise to have a planned “cheat meal.” A cheat meal is simply a pre-planned meal in which you allow yourself to eat some of your favorite foods. That doesn’t mean that you can pig out. It simply means that you can eat a SMALL portion of your favorite foods for one meal. Enjoy the reward!
I hope this has helped you get an idea of the basics of training principles that you could implement into your training to reach your full potential at the Gym. Remember, challenge yourself daily with new routines and keep your body guesisng as that will stimulate growth and progress. Make this New Year your Best and make each day your Masterpiece.
John Carter – I Breath & Live Health and Fitness. Visit me on Facebook
