First and Foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Danica and I wish everyone our best wishes for 2016. We hope it is a very successful year for all!
You may be wondering, how do you even set a realistic fitness New Year Resolution? Easy! Don’t set one!
New Year Resolutions are a fad that come around every 12 months, and for the vast majority of people, we fail by the end of January!
Why do we fail?
The majority of people fail because we set crappy,
Non-Specific "things" to achieve. For example, while writing this I have the radio on in the background. They have just had a phone in where you can tell the Sunshine Coast your New Year Resolutions. Of 5 phone calls, all 5 mentioned in there to either "Get Fit" or "I want to get fitter".
The goal is to "Get fitter". Well go outside, go for a walk around the block. CONGRATULATIONS. You are now fitter than before you went for a walk! So based on "get fitter" I’d say Resolution Achieved. But wait! That’s not what you meant was it? OF COURSE NOT BEN!
So let me ask you this;
What is "Fit"?
Everyone has their own opinions of what "Fit" is. So I want you to do something right now for yourself. Grab a pen and write down 3 things you think defines what "Fit" is. Before I started writing
I wrote down 3 of my own:
- Running 100m in 10 seconds
- Running the Marathon (42.195km)
- 15.1+ on the Beep Test
Since I became a trainer I have completed all 3 of the above. To me that is "Fit"! And I was very Fit!
Now some people might have said "flat tummy" or "6 pack abs" as "Fit". In my opinion, that is not fit until you show me how you got them! There are different ways to get a flat tummy or 6 pack. Those who trained hard and earned them, I take my hat off to you. But some don’t get them that way though…
Let’s go back to question 2 for a second; Why do we fail? The reason we fail is because our resolutions ARE NOT SPECIFIC! Yes, I said that before, it takes a few times to sink in. Those who resolve to "join the gym", go in on January 2
nd, sign up, Congratulations, Resolution Achieved. Believe me ladies and gentlemen, ALL of it is CRAP!
What is specific then?
Let me put it to you this way. On this planet we are all naturally competitive! If you are now saying "I am not competitive at all" you just don’t know you are, and you are now competing with me saying you’re not… YAY! Benny wins!
So we need a challenge. a target, a competition. What ever you want to call it.
If you picked up that pen a few minutes ago you may already have them.
If you’re needing some inspiration, a fantastic example was from a good friend in 2008. He started with just wanting to "Lose weight". (Yes, crap resolution… Lose 100 grams, resolution achieved… Yipee.)
So he changed what he wanted to achieve. Ultimately, the weight loss would come with the achievement. He set himself a target each week for the year. Week 1 he completed a 1 kilometre run, and he added 1 kilometre every week. In Week 52 he did a 52 kilometre run! (he did additional training also). Since then he has completed 3 marathons! He has also achieved his goal weight of 75 kilograms (the weight loss was a happy side effect of the challenge). This was a brilliant idea and an absolute inspiration! Ultimately you will find it easier to stick to a challenge than you will your abs.
My challenge for 2016 is to run a sub 11 second 100 meter sprint again. My Personal Best is 10.91 seconds. I was 18 when I did that, and how I would love to beat 18 year old Benny!
Now if you are brave enough, all the Facebook readers tell us in the comments what your challenge is for 2016.
If you’re still unsure of what to set, give me a call or send me a message at AmSo Fit & Healthy and I can assist you with your goal setting.
Remember, competing to be your best is the solution, NOT a resolution.
Ben
AmSo Fit & Healthy
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