If you have fitness goals for 2023 that you are excited about, then I’m here to help you get after it!
I’ve coached many clients through the New Year and have seen what works and what hasn’t. When it comes down to it, there are just a few things to have in mind to make success happen and exist longterm. I have sketched out below my top five recommendations to help you be consistent this year – let’s get into it!
Get specific with your workouts.
This means going beyond exciting yet vague goals like “I want to get fit this year” or “I really want to workout a lot this winter.” What *exactly* does that mean? How will you measure progress? The more specific you can make it, the better you can track your success. This can take many different forms: committing to following a program, putting your workout times in your schedule, aiming for a specific number of times to exercise a week, etc.
The goal is to create momentum and move forward, so don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis! Keep it simple: decide what creating momentum looks like for you and then show up and execute.
Think through your stumbling blocks.
Once you have laid out what specifically you are working towards, ask yourself: what is the villain in the way?
Is it too much drinking? Late nights? Takeout? Oversleeping? Etc.
Identify what exactly is going to be the roadblock to your success, and plan around that:
My goal is to do ____. In the past when I have tried to do ____, _____ usually ends up happening. The next time I see ____ potentially happening, I am going to plan ahead by doing ____.
I personally really like to start work immediately in the morning. I know that having a morning routine can be important, but I actually really enjoy opening my laptop within 30 min of being awake. As a result, I sometimes find myself without breakfast (with a stomach full of only coffee and a jittery body and brain). I’m not setting up my day well, I’m not supporting my hormones, and I’m certainly not going to have a great midday workout when I haven’t eaten anything all morning. It’s important, and I need to have a plan, so:
My goal is to eat breakfast every day. In the past when I have tried to eat breakfast before I get on the go, I am way too frantic in the mornings and don’t have time to grab or make breakfast. The next time I see this potentially happening, I am going to make an effort to make or plan out my breakfast the night before so I can be successful and not have to worry about it in the morning.
Now, try this drill ^ for yourself!
Create room for support and accountability.
I recently read a study on New Year’s Resolutions that found that support was one of the indictators for success for those who stuck with their resolutions – community around them, whether it be a significant other or friends or roommates, to actively cheer them on.
One of the first questions I ask my 1:1 clients is who they have in their corner for support. So I’ll also ask you, who is in YOUR corner? Who can you add to your corner?
What happens outside your workout matters.
If you are new on your fitness journey, then focusing on consistently showing up to the gym and working through every exercise can be very cognitively demanding. It’s new and requires more of your attention.
Once you start to feel comfortable with your routine, begin focusing on other aspects of your health and consider creating goals for nutrition, sleep, recovery, hydration, etc. All of these support your workouts and help you see the improvement and progress you are looking for.
Also, you might be surprised at how pursuing progress in your fitness naturally spills over into other areas of your life!
Adjust your mindset around failure.
The idea is that over time you are shortening the window between failure and starting again. If you stay out too late and consume more alcohol and/or food than you should have and then you wake up the next day feeling terrible about your decisions, how long do you let yourself sit in that before you encourage yourself that it’s time to get back to work on your goals and get to it? The shorter that you can make the CRAP *facepalm* window, the more consistent you will be.
Use failure as an opportunity to LEARN. Remember the “villain” we talked about earlier? So you met it; how can you do better next time? Work with intention to keep your thoughts constructive, not destructive.
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What can you do today to bring structure and intention to your goals? Start there, and create action as quickly as possible. Rooting for you from afar! -Rachel
