New Year, Same Me, Some Modifications
As the first week of the New Year is slowly behind us we’ve all gotten back into the routine of things where we left of before the holidays. I’m sure it was just as hard for everyone to get out of bed Monday morning as it was for me. With a New Year ahead and 358 more days to go before the next, a couple of thoughts about setting resolutions and goals.
Its great to set a New Years resolution and try to stick to it but don’t let that resolution be something so far out of range that you get frustrated and disappointed that you cannot reach it. Make it realistic but make sure you have to push towards it.
The most typical resolutions circulate around eating healthier, loosing weight, working out more, improving you, being better off financially, quitting or limiting smoking/alcohol, and the list goes on and on and is different for everyone. (Do not worry if one of your resolutions is amongst these!) But don’t forget, your goals will not be the exact same as someone else's, because no one is the same. Granted someone can help motivate you and have similar ambitions that they would like to achieve for the year but don’t compare yourself to others. It will just hurt and destroy you when you see them having a good day and you’re having an off day.
How to get yourself up and motivated day in and day out for your fitness goals?
If it happens to be a fitness goal, do something you like to do, and do it because you want to. Don’t tag along with people because they’re all doing the same thing. You won’t enjoy yourself as much if you feel obligated in joining someone else. Whether they may enjoy a lift at the gym, a run in the park, soul cycle, TRX, crossfit, etc. it does not mean you’ll find just as much pleasure out of it. It will be harder to convince yourself to go again alone and keep a routine out of it if you do not enjoy it.
Do something that you enjoy doing that keeps you active.
Hopefully reading a little about my past experience will help you realize that trying something new is not all that bad. I swam competitively for 16 years. I started when I was 6 and did it all throughout high school and college and swam on numerous teams throughout the years. There were years that I absolutely loved swimming even when I had to jump into the water at 5 or 6am. By the end I started to lose interest in swimming and would of much rather began something new. Unfortunately, I did not listen to myself and instead listened to what others kept telling me. I stuck with swimming through the end of college. Was I miserable by the end? Yes, somewhat. Do I regret sticking with it? No, because I did learn a lot up until the very end; not just from the sport but from me as a person and how I deal with certain situations.
However, after I finished college swimming I did not step foot near a pool for over a year and a half. Not only did I not go in the pool, I did not go near the ocean, the sea, or a lake. I did not want to do anything with being in water. I was so tired of spending time in the water that I would hate getting the slightest bit wet.
After college I began running and lifting with a personal trainer and I absolutely loved it. To this day I still run and lift 4–5 times a week with a mix of other aerobic exercise. I am up and about at the gym by 7–8am (this changes in the winter time since I hate the cold…) but I’m at the gym in the mornings becuase I like what I do and no one is telling me to be there for a certain hour. After an entire year of running and lifting I figured this past summer I would jump back into the water occasionally. Believe it or not, it was not all that bad. Of course it isn’t something I would do on a day to day basis again but occasionaly for the nostalgic feelings its nice to be back. I have tried aerobic workouts, spin workouts, TRX training and many more but the accomplishment that I get after I run and lift is definitley the feeling from when I used to enjoy swimming. Once I get bored of running and lifting I’ll find something new but till then, Im going to continue doing what I like to do and not listen to others.
Granted I can not achieve my health goals only from working out, 80% of the time it is based on what we eat as well. But thats a different story of staying focused and maintaing a healthy eating pattern amongst having a healthy active lifestyle.
What are some of your New Years health resolutions?
