THE WORST NEW YEAR’S FITNESS DISSOLUTIONS

AND HOW TO FIX THEM

Listen up ladies!

Please – and I repeat, PLEASE – do NOT set yourself up for fitness failure this year.

I see it happen year after year, and it’s pretty distressing.

I see ladies starting out with all the goodwill in the world, fired up with the best of intentions, only to have their plans shot down in flames in a few days (yes, DAYS!).

Simply because of the way they structured the whole “resolution” thing.

It’s bad enough that something like that happens.

It’s even worse when you think that failure makes each subsequent effort less likely to succeed.

Because a lot of women start off knowing that they failed last time they were at it, which makes their new effort even more half-hearted – and even more likely to fail.

So, in an attempt to clear out confusion and problems, and possibly help as much of you hit their fitness target in 2014, here are the four most common ways women plan their fitness goals and why the strategy is intrinsically structured to fail.

And, of course, I have added a few suggestions of how to tweak these resolutions, turning them into ones that you can stick to more easily and with a much higher chance of success.

Let’s hit it!

“I WILL LOSE WEIGHT!”

Ah, indeed! The Mother of all New Year’s Resolutions.

How many times have we all said that to ourselves, with the midnight bells of each January still ringing in our heads?

The problem with saying something like this is that it is, in reality, more of a vague statement and a lofty goal, rather than something tangible we can work on.

Saying you will “lose weight” is like drawing a goal on morning mist. There is nothing to aim for. There are no steps to work with, no material goal to give us a benchmark from which to gauge our progress.

And thus, you won’t really know if you are moving toward your goal or away from it.

And having no progress map will derail you in a few short weeks. Because no one can keep on moving forward unless there is a way with which we can measure our progress.

How else would you know if you are keeping up with your goal, or if you are failing?

Solution

Be specific! We need weekly – or even daily – benchmarks to reward ourselves with. Real numbers that will give us a trail to walk on.

So, instead of the old favourite of “I will lose weight.” or “I will get in shape.” you need to aim for a practical figure.

Here is how it would work.

First, set a sensible, long term goal, like “I want to lose 5kg in 10 weeks!”

Then, break it down into more rewarding goals. Say, “I will lose half a kilogram a week.”

This will allow you to gauge your progress (or lack thereof) on a weekly basis and will show you whether you are on track, or if you are slowly spiralling down into lassitude again.

By knowing where you are going, you can be more aware of your direction, you can make quicker adjustments, and fix problems before they become unmanageable.

“I WILL EXERCISE DAILY!”

Now, really ladies! I applaud your vigour and your new found resolve. Exercise is definitely something you should be engaging in on a regular basis.

However, while this phrase is a great thing to say in the heat of the moment, it is, at best, just a battle cry.

The scream to pump yourself up for the charge.

But after that, it tends to peter out into silence, and die a pretty quick and quiet death.

Seriously, think about it for a moment.

You have been sedentary for a little while (or maybe, a good long while might be closer to the truth).

Do you really think you can wake up one day and turn into an exercise demon? With daily workouts suddenly becoming a fixed part of your routine overnight?

The truth is that working out every day not only requires major commitment, but also requires major planning and major lifestyle changes.

It is not something that will be done at the flick of a switch.

Plus, your body (and your diet) are not yet ready for such a drastic changes. If you actually do this, chances are that you will get injured, if you don’t get mentally overtaxed before that. You are simply asking too much, too fast, of yourself.

So let’s find a better way to do this.

SOLUTION

Let’s approach this in a more sensible fashion.

I love starting my female clients off with a three day week exercise routine, then working them up from there, according to what their body tells us.

It’s a great way to avoid overwhelm, as well as injury.

You see, your body recovers in-between workouts. What you are doing at the gym is actually breaking it down and giving it a reason to repair and get stronger and leaner.

The rest periods between the workouts will actually better prepare you for harder and more intense training as you adapt to each successive routine.

This will mean that you will grow into your training and your new habits, instead of forcing them upon yourself.

You can also incorporate micro-changes into your life to reflect your new goals.

Take the stairs instead of the lift. Park a little bit further away from where you need to stop and walk to your destination. Carry shopping bags home instead of waiting for a ride. You will be surprised at the changes little tweaks into your life will accomplish.

This strategy will have a much better chance of success than your original plan.

“I WANT GREAT LEGS!”

Yes, yes, I know, I know. Just about every single, red-blooded lady client of mine wants sexier, more curvaceous legs.

And hey, guess what? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I am more than happy to help any woman get curvier, tighter legs and butt any day of the week (and yes, I am damn good at getting them there, I admit).

It’s a great way of empowering ladies.

The problems happen when this turns into a one-sided obsession, meaning that a lot of my clients come in just wanting to train legs.

The upper body gets neglected. The entire focus is on the legs and nothing else.

This means that major areas like the arms (especially the triceps), the back and the chest are relegated to the back of the drawer.

In reality, a misaligned approach will, out of necessity, give misaligned results. Complete focus on just one bodypart is never a good idea.

SOLUTION

The whole point is overall consideration and a well planned and well designed training program. Each bodypart should get its own individual attention. No part is more important than the other. Fair enough, feel free to focus a little extra on some problematic area, but do not do it at the expense of other bodyparts.

Balance in life is important, and that includes your fitness.

Plus, targeting all bodyparts equally will give your body a better chance to recover, as well as giving you much quicker results in your quest for better health and tighter, more toned body.

Makes sense, doesn’t it

So, design a workout that hits everywhere equally. It will work out better in the long run. Don’t aggravate an imbalance that is already there by adding an imbalance to the solution.

“I WILL WING IT ALONE!”

This is probably the biggest mistake I see being made by the vast majority of female trainees.

For some reason, a staggering amount of people seem to think that going to the gym and working out should be something that comes to you as naturally as breathing.

You will magically know how to construct the optimal training program for yourself. You will wave an enchanted fairy wand and imbue yourself with the perfect techniques involved in the various lifts. Abracadabra!

Or, far worse, I hear that lie that just won’t die “I just need to do 15 mins on a treadmill, 15 mins on a stationary bike and 20 mins on the elliptical and voila. Hello Hollywood body!”

Accountability? And who needs accountability? That’s only for those other, undisciplined people out there right? Not us.

Well, I am sorry to tell you that it will never work this way. No, not ever!

The truth is that the overwhelming majority of people who start training out on their own, will just give up after a very few short weeks (and yes, statistics fully back me up on this).

SOLUTION

Switching over to an active, healthier lifestyle is not something you can do on your own. Just as you would not expect to hoppity skip into the cockpit of an aircraft, put the headphones on, make the perfect take-off, pull off a few daredevil aerobatics, and execute the perfect landing, then, in the same way, you can NEVER expect to learn something as complicated as working out correctly by yourself.

So, by all means, join a class. It is a well known fact that women who are a part of a close knit group, tend to attend more lessons, train harder and enjoy the sessions more. The peer accountability in these groups is a great way to get ladies to commit more to working out without just giving up.

Even better, find a (great) mentor and coach. They will put you on the right track, show you how to do things properly, save you from mistakes, injury, failure and heartache, and support you when you need it most.

The money spent on an outstanding mentor is never wasted. It’s an investment. They will not only cut your learning curve to a fraction of what it would otherwise be, but prevent you from running into the dreaded wall, the place where most people just shrug it all off and quietly pack it in.

The resolutions of a better body and better health, shelved till the midnight bells ring in another year.

So, if you are truly serious about getting results, find a mentor with a great track record. Keep in mind that this will take time and effort and commitment – nothing good in life will happen without serious application.