It’s coming. Can you sense it?
Can you feel the ground starting to shake?
What is it? It’s the yearly onslaught of people who are planning on getting fit, lean and healthy for their new years resolution.
As a coach I would love to see everyone succeed but it just isn’t possible with the approach that the majority of people take.
Unfortunately most are doomed to fail. Until next year at least.
Lets have a look at 2 of the most common reasons why. Hopefully you can recognise these obstacles and bypass them completely.
1) CHANGING TOO MANY HABITS
Anyone who has ever made powerful lifelong changes has done it 1 major habit at a time. We see this all the time in the gym with our most successful clients. They may build up to something like this over time:
- Exercise 3 days a week
- drink 2 litres of water
- Eat a healthier breakfast
- Start to eat healthier snacks
- Stop drinking fizzy drinks
Do these all at once and in 6 months you’ll more than likely be back to square one, back in the habit of doing them all, feeling lethargic, carrying too much excess fat with little fitness progress to show for it.
Adopt one of them at a time and in 6 months you’re quality of life will be massively improved. You’ll be feeling better, more productive, leaner, more athletic, stronger, etc.
Same time frame but a much different outcome. I know which one I would prefer and have the client results to prove that it’s a far superior approach.
Take home point: Change one major habit at a time and give yourself a decent timeframe to achieve your goals.
2) GETTING STARTED IN THE NEW YEAR
Waiting until the new year to get started with your health and fitness program is a big obstacle in the road to hitting your goal. One of our busiest times of the year is December and the people who get started with us at this time are some of our most consistent clients.
Here are a few reasons why you need to get started now and not in the new year:
Firstly, if you wait to get started in the new year then you are putting off getting healthier and fitter by another 5 weeks. That doesn’t do you any favours. If you have decided to take control of your fitness then GET STARTED NOW.
You’ll enter the new year already in the habit of exercising, have developed beter nutrition habits, feel more energy and bypassed the whole new year/new me mentalllity that shoots so many people down.
Secondly, the main driving force behind new years resolutions is guilt. Guilt for eating too much, partying too much, not exercising regularly, failing to stick to last years resolution, etc.
People get caught up in this guilt and then rely on willpower to drive them forward. Here’s a secret to lifelong health. Willpower is great for the first week or 2 when you are trying to make a change but quickly fades. After that it is habits that keep you on track. Too many bad ones and you won’t see the results you want. If you’ve developed great ones you’ll prosper much more.
People jump on the bandwagon using short-lived willpower to change too many habits over night (see number 1 above) and mistakenly think they are succeeding with their new year resolutions. This is what I call unhealthy or unrealistic enthusiasm. You can check out an entire video blog about this subject here.
Take home point: Plan on getting started ASAP to avoid the guilt and unsustainable mindset so often associated with new years resolutions.
Make it your mission to avoid these pitfall at all costs guys. You’ll reap the rewards in a few short months.
Do you agree or disagree with this? Have we struck a nerve or helped you see a better approach? Let us know in the comments section.
Have a great day guys and stay healthy.
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