If only 8% of those who make NY Resolutions actually keep them, why do we still make them?
Because a fresh start is SEXY!
Because a clean slate is REFRESHING!
Because despite the madness of the holidays, we still want to accomplish BIG THINGS for our health & hotness!
And even though, technically, any day and time is “the perfect time to start” there is an undoubtable STRENGTH IN NUMBERS!!!!
I mean, it’s one thing to be “the weirdo” at lunch with tupperware filled with veggies and protein and a whole different ball game when your whole work crew is exchanging recipes and snack hacks like it’s the latest gossip from TMZ.
There’s nothing to trigger you to get the hell out of the office than seeing 20 of your closest buds slinging workout bags over their shoulders as they leave 5 minutes early cause it’s leg day, traffic is brutal, and they don’t want to miss class.
Hell to the yeah NY Resolutions are BADASS!
But somehow it’s become cool on social media to poo poo all over people’s plans. Like it’s a bad thing to have caught a nasty case of the motivation bug and we are to doctor people back to a “just be ordinary” diagnosis.
WELL BIG FAT MIDDLE FINGER TO THE CYNICS.
Maybe I’m the last coach on earth who adores NY Resolutions (and magical unicorns, rainbows made of glitter, and pet dragons) but ya’ll we UNDERESTIMATE the shit we can do in a year.
We fill our days with a “to do” list filled with STUFF that’s meaningless and forget where the hell we actually want to go.
The New Year’s REMINDS people of THEIR BEST LIFE and TRIGGERS them to take ACTION!!!!!
It’s an AH-MAY-ZANG thing to watch!!!!!!
So the goal of this blog post is, in part, is to give every New Year’s Resolution champion a big virtual CARE BEAR STARE because there’s way too much negativity out there trying to rain on your parade.
Secondly, I want to arm you with 6 BIG TIME NY RESOLUTION TIPS that will help you STRENGTHEN AND STRUCTURE your 2018 goals for major results!
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YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING. YOU JUST CAN’T DO IT ALL AT ONCE.
Seriously. You are a badass. You can do anything you set your mind to. But unless you’ve been given 6 months to live, then it’s going to be a BIG DEAL for you to SPREAD your goals out.
I like to buy a cheap calendar and pick a date to have my goals accomplished.
For example: By August 2018 I have an organized house. By May 2018 my white summer shorts snap and zip comfortably. By November 2018…
This then snowballs a bunch of questions… If I want to have a clean house by August, what am I responsible to have accomplished by July? by June? by May?
This creates monthly action steps because August FEELS really far away in January and that can cause PROCRASTINATION… the New Years Resolution CANCER.
So if my goal is a clean and organized house by August that means in July I can take the whole month to clean out and organize my kitchen… from light bulbs, cabinet clean out, floor boards, throwing away tupperware that no longer has tops etc.
Then June I can hit both the kids bedrooms. One kid gets the first two weeks of the month and the second the last half. I’ll give away toys, clothes, clean out drawers, discover disgusting things under the bed, etc.
Then I keep working backwards to January and that tells me exactly what I need to be doing NOW. Those tasks get added into my daily/weekly bullet journal so I see them in front of me daily.
Same process with fat loss by the way. May 2018 can feel really far away so if you’re looking to trim down, REVERSE ENGINEER your goal giving yourself specific tasks along the way.
2. GET (MORE) STUFF DONE DURING MOTIVATION BURSTS
So, it’s January and you’re in the midst of a major fitness high! Congrats. By all means, take advantage!!!
However, what comes up, must come down so expect the frenzied love of all things burpee, lifting, running, and yoga to taper down. It’s natural. It doesn’t make you a loser.
Focus is finite and motivation is not be taken for granted.
As you reverse engineer your goals, schedule the biggest and hardest tasks when you know your motivation will be highest and schedule less during the lows.
Think about it. The pools open in May. You may not get as much done in February or March but, by golly, expect your April and May to be another mini NY Resolution party. Get your schedule and life in order so that you can take advantage of that motivation burst as it nears.
3. BUILD ROUTINE (without losing flexibility)
Routines are what keeps us in check when motivation is gone. They are comprised of a complex mix of habits and discipline.
Habits are tasks done through automation. We hardly think about what we’re doing or why.
Discipline, on the other hand, takes awareness. There is thought, energy, and sometimes even grit to get us to do what we know we need to do.
Both are essential when accomplishing goals and we need them. However, don’t forget to keep a healthy dose of problem solving flexibility. There are several ways to get tasks accomplished.
Keep your eyes peeled for those opportunities.
4. SUCCESS IS PAVED BY MISTAKES WELL HANDLED
You’re going to get things wrong sometimes. By now you’ve seen enough fitspiration to know fat loss or physique change is not a linear process. It’s messy.
Expect missteps but LOOK FOR the source of the mistake rather than ruminating over the bag of chips you ate last night or the 2 missed workouts of the week.
Your focus is in locating where the breakdown began rather than the aftermath.
When did I first start to crave or feel tired? Why did I react in such a strong way? Do I often react this way? Is this the first time? What parts are in my control? How can I behave differently so that this does not repeat or, at least, happen less?
5. ACCOUNTABILITY
If you FEEL the enthusiasm in January b/c “everyone is out to get fit” well yeah, that’s kinda what’s it like when you find your perfect workout spot.
We see it all the time at sweatlocal… when you’re down and wanna quit, someone else is having their up day and they pick your ass up and take you along their workout high for the day. Or vice versa… your kick ass moment is exactly the day someone isn’t even sure they can make it through the warm up. They “borrow” energy from you that day and crush it on a day they would have quit on their own.
Oh, and in case that doesn’t work… well there’s your coach, who’s watching, driving the workout, and has done all the think work for you.
Yo ass is not getting bailed out. You’re gonna get this workout in and get it in right!
6. PURGE THE UNNECESSARY
One thing that’s great about visiting and revisting your NY Resolutions is that they HELP YOU SAY NO to stuff you don’t even really care about!
I mean, it’s not that the things that are eating away at your schedule aren’t great but maybe they just aren’t for you… right now. Goals and resolutions keep us GROUNDED.
This month you might find yourself with a schedule that feels really tight and with little room for your gym time and meals, but I highly encourage you to EMBRACE YES on the things you love and adore and BEGIN to purge and SAY NO to things that DO NOT bring you closer to YOUR BEST LIFE!!
So… go forth with your bad self and proudly rave about your New Year’s Resolutions!!! They’re a good thing… a damn right marvelous thing. Don’t let the cynics and skeptics lead you to believe you can’t make this YOUR BEST YEAR YET!
Thank you for reading, for being a part of sweatlocal, and if we’re not already part of your health and hotness, feel free to touch base w/ me directly anytime. jeidi@sweathuntsville.com or join my newsletter Sweat Unfiltered.
