- March 29, 2024
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Do you remember Dec. 31, 2015? What you were doing? Where you were going? What plans you had for 2016? Was there a chill in the air and an optimistic outlook for the plans you set to achieve? Do you remember the vision you had for the weight you were going to lose and what people would say about your amazing new body when they saw you in a bathing suit poolside in July? I love optimism and the energy that comes with it. But now we’re in July and the summer is almost over. Have you achieved the body that you had envisioned on Dec. 31, 2015?
If not, it’s not too late to “wow” your friends before the summer is over. Only 8 percent of those who set a New Year’s resolution achieve that resolution, as reported by statisticbrain.com. Are you part of that 8 percent? If you’ve fallen off of your New Year’s resolution, now is the time to revisit it with a new fervor and commitment with a few new tactics to help you reach it before pool season is over or, at least, before it’s time to make another resolution. Use these tips to get back on track and achieve your New Year’s fitness goals:
Determine what you really want. When setting a fitness related New Year’s resolution many people have a picture in their head about what they want to look like, they go out and join a gym within the first two weeks of January and, by February, they’ve gotten frustrated with their slow progression and they can’t “find the time” to get to the gym regularly. So what’s your true motivation for getting healthier, for losing weight, for looking better? What is your current fitness level or body composition holding you back from? Unless really able to dig deep here and identify real ways that your current fitness level is holding you back, you’ll probably not reach the goal you have set. Why? It doesn’t hurt enough. You don’t want it enough to change the very real daily routines and habits that need to change in order to reach your goal. Find out why you really want to reach the goal and what it’s holding you back from to find your real motivation. It’s there. You just need to find it.
Write it down. Once you determined the very real motivation — the one that you absolutely can’t live without — write it down. Not just once. Write it down as many times as you need to so it’s always in front of you. Post on your bathroom mirror, so you see it when you wake up and before you go to bed. Post it in your car, so you see it during commutes. Post it on your computer at work. Make it your desktop background and your cell phone background. Put it everywhere, so you’re always reminded of your true motivation and what action you need to take to reach your goal. Motivation is what will get you started and the habit of taking action that you build will keep you going.
Don’t work as a silo. You’ve seen silos on farms that are out in the field all by themselves; stationary and alone with only one purpose of storing grain, corn or some other crop. They only serve one purpose and they achieve it, because that’s all they need to do. But you have a fluid life. Days that are never the same with multiple responsibilities, time crunches and ever-changing schedules. You can’t work as a silo, but need to work with other people to keep your focus, motivation and determination. You need to share your motivation to reach your fitness goal with others, so they can encourage you, help you and…gulp…hold you accountable. Have others you know reached the goal that you want to reach? Share it with them and find out what they did to reach it. Emulate the things that other successful people have done. Find people who live the lifestyle you want to live and absorb what they do and what the recommend. Our trainers are like that. They live the healthy life because they love it. Why? Ask them and they’ll tell you. Each one is different and you’ll find one with whom you relate and can tap into for guidance.
You’re only about halfway through the year and still have time to reach your New Year’s resolution fitness goal. Even if it’s fallen by the wayside thus far, now is the time to stoke those fitness fires, discover the real motivation for a change and become an 8 percenter in 2016!
Patrick McGaha Jr., member experience manager at Anytime Fitness, Winter Park, is dedicated to building a welcoming environment in the club, conducive to helping members and clients reach their health fitness goals. To get your fitness and nutrition related questions answered by a certified personal trainer, or for a free personal training session, call us at 321-972-5833 or email [email protected].