New Year’s resolutions: Everybody’s got one. But when physical fitness is involved, it can be hard to stick with the plan. Let’s be honest here. Getting results is no sure bet.
This year will be different, though. To help you out, we posed three simple questions to six local trainers:
1. Why do so many New Year’s resolutions fail?
2. How do we set an attainable goal?
3. How can we stick with the program?
RHOADES
Katie Rhoades
Live Well Personal Training & Fitness
1. Many of us fail to achieve our fitness and weight loss goals simply because we set them too high. The goal quickly feels too big and we give up. We have an “all-or-nothing” approach. We expect perfection and are often too hard on ourselves when we slip up. We expect too much too soon. Patience is important, as is the resolve to make real, lasting changes to your fitness habits.
2. Change happens gradually, in incremental steps. Break your goals down into small, doable steps, and before you know it you’ll start to see results. Take it one day at a time. Tell yourself: You can do anything for a day. After you’ve made it through the first day, try it for a week. Before you know it, you’ve made it a month. Don’t expect perfection. If on day four you completely blow it, you simply start over tomorrow. Don’t beat yourself up, just get back into your routine and stop procrastinating.
3. Seek professional help. It is always important to consult your physician before starting an exercise program. Book one or several sessions with a certified personal trainer. A trainer can put together an exercise program designed specifically for your goals.
Many doctors will recommend an exercise plan that builds slowly and adds additional activities over time. A trainer can show you how to pace yourself with exercise, instead of overdoing it to the point of exhaustion or injury and withdrawal from physical activity. It is extremely important to exercise in a safe and effective manner.
• Accountability: Not everyone needs support in reaching their goals, but many people find they stay on track if they have someone to be accountable to. Team up with friends who have similar goals to compare notes, work out together, cheer each other on and celebrate triumphs.
• Variety: I think people who do a variety of physical activities tend to be the ones who stick with it. Find something you like to do and it won’t feel like exercise. Take a dance class or yoga class, learn to rollerblade or swim, try gardening or just go for a walk. Explore your local library and see what they have in the way of fitness DVDs. Adding variety to your workouts helps keep you motivated.
• Schedule: The time doesn’t magically appear. Schedule your workouts into your calendar as you would any other important appointment. Abandon the “all-or-nothing” approach. So you don’t have an hour? How about 30 minutes or 20 minutes? It’s certainly better than nothing.
OVERTURF
Omar Overturf
Oxygen Fitness
1. Most New Year’s resolutions fail because people have to make a LIFESTYLE change. This means their previous lifestyle (diet, workouts, etc.) was NOT working before. This means a change in everything. Diets and workout habits. We aren’t making resolutions to stay the same! We are trying to become healthier and change the SHAPE of our body! This requires a drastic change in our previous lifestyle. We cannot only do it for a short-term goal, working out and eating good sporadically. We have to be healthier EVERY DAY. We have to incorporate all aspects: diet, cardio and weights.
2. To keep an obtainable goal you just need to make your New Year’s resolution a DAILY event. Start with a close date. I always have my clients aim for Valentine’s Day (chocolate!). We eat good EVERY DAY! Do some sort of weight training a minimum of 4 days a week, and cardio at least 5-6 days a week. We do have a REST day, but by that we mean active rest! Cleaning the house, walking the dog, working on the yard! Staying busy while accomplishing chores burns a lot of calories! On Valentine’s Day, you get to indulge in a dinner with whatever you like! It’s a short-term goal and only takes 6 weeks, and you’ll need to start ASAP!
3. The best tips for sticking with a program, is to see RESULTS! Many people just run to try to lose the weight, just lift weights, or only try a fad diet. It is ALL IMPORTANT!! You have to do all three!! Running or just doing cardio will help your heart and you will lose weight, but if you’re not eating correctly and lifting weights you will lose the LEAN Muscle! We need the Lean Muscle to burn calories ALL THE TIME! If we lose that then our body will not be as efficient, meaning our metabolism slows. Just doing cardio does become repetitive and for many, aches and pains arise. Weight training helps your body gain and keep lean muscle, but you need cardio for your endurance. Now the diet is 70 percent of your body, so if you’re not taking in enough protein and complex carbohydrates then all is for nothing! We must incorporate all three, and everything will fall into place and the new you will pop up in a few weeks!
Jill Adams
Health and Wellness Director
YMCA of Austin
Hays Communities Family Branch
1. I think New Year’s resolutions fail because there is not a thought out plan in place with clearly set short- and long-term goals. The more time you spend preparing for the change you want to make, the more invested you become and you truly want to see it through.
2. Keeping your expectations realistic is a great way to ensure that you’ll succeed at reaching a set goal.
3. Use the realistic goals you have set to keep you motivated! It has been said before, but posting a picture you aspire to look like or a motivating quote you will see every day goes a long way toward reinforcing your willpower to continue on. One of my favorite quotes is by Beverly Sills, and it reads: “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”
BOEHNKE
Bud Boehnke
CrossFit Kyle
1. We are human. We are not God, so therefore we falter. We do the best we can to accomplish our task at hand. Our character is forged on how we persevere through struggles, and New Year’s resolutions present a struggle that is often not accomplished due to lack of focus. Seventy-five percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by Feb. 1! Some goals are unattainable, if so, then even with the best of intentions, commitment will drift away with the wind. Most goals are simply lost in the hustle and bustle of life. We let television shows or happy hour take priority over tasks that will eventually lead to success. So make good choices, have a plan, stick to it and success lies within your soul!
2. Be SMART! S=Specific goal (what you are wanting to do, why it is important, and how we are going to do it and by what date). M=Measurable goal (by being specific, you can set a litmus test on your progress and make your goal more concrete). A=Attainable goal (pick a goal that is slightly stretched, that way you can feel like it will actually take a little more effort than usual). R=Realistic goal (push the boundary, but don’t break it). T=Timely goal (an endpoint will identify clear targets for progress checks).
3. I believe that community greatly impacts the personality of the individual as well as the tribe. Surround yourself with positive influences that you can look up to for advice, a shoulder to cry on, or that sanctuary that provides a release. Goals are meant to be a challenge, or everyone would have a Ph.D. In our CrossFit classes, we hold everyone accountable for success. If a member misses a class, chances are a fellow member will call them to find out what was more important than getting some solid work done. Some people will leave notes on their bathroom mirror … even in lipstick! Either way, you are the one that has to look in the mirror every day, so make sure you like what you are looking at when it is all said and done.
CAULFIELD
Chris Caulfield
Anytime Fitness of Buda
1. This one is pretty simple. First, lack of a plan on what to do and how to do it. Second, a good support team which is either family and friends at home pushing you and cheering you on or having a workout partner. Third, knowing what to do, how to do it and how long it will really take. A lot of people are overwhelmed and feel they are being judged when they come into clubs. Knowing the truth and what to do can help that.
2. First you have to really know where you are. Get measurements done, all of them. Second, have a clean idea of what/where you want to go long-term. Then you just need to know what is really possible, like 1-2 pounds a week or 1-3 percent body fat every six weeks. Make your small goals and take it one step at a time and only measure once a week.
3. It needs to be fun so work out with someone you enjoy being with or at a place where you will have fun. Try not to look at it as something that is short-term or something you have to do, but just part of your life and is for you: your time to be selfish. This has to be about you and for you. It is your health, your body your self-worth, and we are all worth it!
POOL
Stephanie Pool
Elite BodyWorks
1. New Year’s resolutions fail because people do not make a plan with short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. Sticking to a resolution is about making lifestyle changes, not doing a “quick fix” program. Also, people tend to make superficial resolutions. Dig deep. If you want to lose 10 pounds to decrease your chance for heart disease, make your resolution to say “I’m not going to have a heart attack at age 52 like my dad because I’m going to lose 10 pounds, lose 2 inches off my waistline, and treat my body better by consistently exercising and eating right.”
2. Make your goals realistic. Factor in the lifestyle you like to live, the time you are willing to take out of your schedule, the sacrifices you are or aren’t willing to make, and the timeline in which you want to achieve your goals. If you like to have happy hour on Friday, factor in an extra workout or two to make up for that. If you only have time to work out two days per week for 30 minutes, factor in the limited calorie burn you will get throughout the week and make a longer goal than someone who can work out five days per week for 30 minutes.
3. The biggest mistake people make is not planning. You need to plan your workouts into your schedule like any other appointment. You need to plan your snacks and meals for the next week on Sunday. Focus on making long-term changes one baby step at a time. If you want to lose 10 pounds, focus on losing 1 pound per week for 10 weeks by exercising four days a week for 30 minutes and eating five small meals and snacks per day. Finally, revisit WHY you are making changes in your life. It’s easy to ditch a workout because you don’t feel up to it, or eat a cheeseburger because you had a rough day. The power of self-discipline comes from your deep-seated belief in your WHY.
