5 ways to make your New Year resolutions stick!

It’s that time of year where people make resolutions to better their life. In a study consisting of 1,066 participants, 70% of resolutions landed in the “fitness category”. However, as we unfortunately know, these are rarely followed through with for an extended time.Depending on the study, 80-90% of the New Year resolution crowd stops going to the gym before the end of Spring. A dirty little secret in the gym industry is that big-box gyms count on this as there is no way their gyms could fit all the paying gym members!At the end of the day, the responsibility of living a healthy life is none other than yours alone. Yes, coaches, writers, nutritionists can guide you and help along the way, but if you don’t want it, you’re not going to get it.We want to lay out some real, applicable tools you use to make sure you can start leading a healthier life. But first, we need to discuss something.

Fitness, Obesity, & COVID

2020 has taught us all a lot. One of those is that being healthy is not just a “hobby” or a “lifestyle choice”. Being fit has real-world benefits, which have been shoved aside for too long, and it’s time to really look at how our choices affect us.A study was released in 2013, which looked at all USA deaths from 1986-2006. They found that around 18% of all deaths were correlated with being overweight or obese.Now, in 2020, the world has been severely altered due to COVID. We have seen the real-world consequences which can come with neglecting our bodies. The co-morbidities that go along with obesity, such as diabetes, are well known as significant factors in the outcome of those with COVID.A large scale study from the Lancet acknowledged this and tried to compensate for the co-morbidities. They found that even after taking co-morbidities into account, obesity by itself still drastically increased the risk of being hospitalized, incubated, or dying.When we are obese, our bodies are not healthy and are not as resilient as they could be. I call obesity the pandemic before the pandemic.Even still, being of a healthy weight is still not good enough if you are inactive. Inactivity on its own has been linked to higher lung cancer rates, pulmonary disease, and higher admissions to the hospital. A major study linked higher physical activity rates to be the best preventive measure against diabetes, depression, anxiety, heart disease, cancer….basically every chronic illness.

We Need to Make A Real Resolution

While the decision is ultimately yours to make, here are some steps to take to make a long-lasting change in your life

1) Realize this is a requirement for longevity and well-being. 

Overall general fitness is necessary if you want to live a long and fruitful life. As we have seen, being at an unhealthy weight and inactivity is the fastest way to chronic disease.And let’s be honest, this isn’t a secret. We need to start taking this seriously because implementing a regular exercise program today will have a drastic effect on your long-term health. Don’t make a resolution just to exercise in 2021; create a resolution to live a longer and more fruitful life with exercise merely being the tool to achieve that.

2) Get Involved in Activity Outside the Gym

Gyms are great. We at Prepare for Performance have a gym. We want you to come. However, hitting the weights as a sole means of activity isn’t for everyone. This is why I strongly encourage my clients looking for general fitness to get involved with activities outside the gym. This can be:

• Surfing
• Cycling
• Racing
• Paintball
• Tennis…

Anything that gets you outside and moving counts as increasing your physical activity, and you will reap the benefits. Some of the healthiest people I know, especially in the older population, never go to the gym. However, they have developed a consitant habit of being involved in sport or activity.If you do love the gym, try to get involved in a competition of some sort. Powerlifting, bodybuilding, Crossfit. Something that gives you a goal for going to the gym other than just “going to the gym”. This can add some excitement and purpose.

3) Stop Thinking It’s All Or Nothing

Notice how none of the studies I mentioned correlating health and fitness mentioned having a 6-pack? If having a 6-pack is your goal, then go for it.However, don’t fall into a trap where you think you need to attain a particular body image to be healthy, or it’s all a waste of time. I am not saying to be lazy in the gym, nor do I want to discourage you from pursuing aesthetic goals. Just don’t make it the “end all, be all”.Remember. Longevity and health first. Then worry about aesthetics.

4) Be Reasonable and Go Slow

If you have being making unhealthy choices for years, don’t think you’re going to completely turn it around in a month. I see many people with great intentions who have been neglecting their bodies for lengthy periods of time who go straight into trying ti run a program that would be too much for the most seasoned lifter.Your body is a machine that needs to warm and become accustomed to the new stresses. Furthermore, your mental health can’t handle that kind of stress. You need to think long-term with this and start a sustainable program. A program where you train twice a week consecutively for 20 years far out weighs a program you train every day for 3 months (the average life of most new-year gym goers) and burn out.

5) Have Some Quantitative Goals (Other Than Less Weight on the Scales)

Develop small goals that are measurable and achievable. For example, bench pressing 1/2 your body weight. Then when you hit that, aim for 3/4 bodyweight. So on and so on. Having these little goals, again, gives you a plan that you can work for. And make every goal a celebration. Here are some you can aim for

• 1 full Pull-up…5 pull-ups in a row…7 in a row…
• Same with Pushups
• Bodyweight Squat or Deadlift
• 12-minute mile…11 min…10 min…9…8…7

 These will vary depending on the person. Instead of a vague goal of “I’m going to start exercising,” say…“I want to run a 5km race in under 30 minutes in 2021”“I want to perform 50 consecutive pushups in 2021”“I want to…..your own personal goal here”

Please Take 2021 Seriously

We only have one life to live on this Earth, and we need to take care of it. Luckily, the best medicine for the body and health is free. It’s exercise.Don’t let this free medicine go to waste.Yes, this is a business, but we at Prepare for Performance truly care about helping our clients live a healthier life and reach their goals, whatever that may be. If you decide that you want to make a real difference to live a more fruitful life, drop us a message to see how we can help.