Hi all,
So I am sitting at my dining room table at 10.50pm on the 30th December after listening to an online nutrition lecture and I got to thinking about next year just like everyone else on the planet.
This time of year everyone starts goal setting and making the ever famous new year’s resolutions. Unfortunately they do not always work out which can lead to people feeling like a failure and disheartened to ever try again.
Sometimes, it’s not the person that has failed, it’s the goal!
I know this sounds a bit airy fairy but please just bear with me.
I have been in the fitness industry a long time now and it amazes me how many people begin to “get fit and healthy” in January only to give up by mid Feb. There may be thousands of reasons why this happens, I for one think it is down to one reason only…….you have given yourself too much to do.
“And coming in one the number one spot for resolutions is the old classic………
I am going to go on a diet and lose weight starting January 1st…(well 2nd after I have eaten all the crap in the house)”
Ok, let me ask you this with my serious face on……”how are you going to do it?”
I shall put my Derren Brown mind reader hat on and bet you that you are going to say one or more of the following answers.
- I am going to have fruit for breakfast everyday (not the best, by the way)
- I am going to eat salad for lunch (really?? on a cold day you are planning to munch on a nice cosy iceberg lettuce)
- I am going to drink 2 litres of water everyday.
- No coffee for me until Febuary 2050!!
- I am going to only eat 800 calories a day (please don’t, you are just asking for trouble)
- No chocolate in my house at all….ever
That is just a few examples, I am sure you can all think of a thousand more but it’s now 11.06pm and I am getting tired!
Here is the most important lesson I want you to take away from this blog post, it’s is so important I am going to write it in capital letters and when I work out how to do it, change the font colour to red.
WHEN YOU WANT TO CHANGE ANYTHING, PICK ONE THING ONLY. CONCENTRATE ON THAT UNTIL IT BECOMES A HABIT AND THEN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT GOAL.
For example, you know that you do not drink enough water a day. This is certainly true for me, lets tackle this first before you start worrying about anything else.
So week one, you are going to drink one extra glass of water a day. Yes, just one, easily done.
After a week you are then going to drink 2 extra glasses of water a day, by week 4 you may be drinking 5 extra glasses a day.
The important thing is that you have kept up with your goal, you are achieving what you set out to do. Once you have nailed this, you can then move on to the next part of your goal, for example eating at least 3-4 different vegetables a day.
Too many of us bombard ourselves with too many unrealistic goals at this time of year. If we overwhelm our body and our mind, we are only setting ourselves up for failure. Take baby steps, enjoy the journey and embrace the challenge.
I will finish with a quote that we have framed in our bedroom:
“If you put a drop in a bucket every day, after 365 days, the bucket is going to have some water in it” – John Mcphee.
Right it’s now 11.17pm and I am off to bed, I bid you all farewell and a Happy New Year.
xxxxx
Katie
Katie has been in the health and fitness industry since 2001. After 7 years working within a major health club chain Katie set up her own company and now trains her clients at their homes and online. A passion for learning and helping people be the best that they can be has seen Katie consistently add to her list of qualifications. A qualified NLP practitioner, metabolic typist, sports massage therapist and personal trainer Katie aims to work with clients both physically and mentally. Since 2011 Katie has been a tutor and assessor for a nationwide training company that trains people to become Personal Trainers. She manages to squeeze all this in whilst also being a full time Mum of a 2 year old little boy.
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