31/12/2023
Can we stop making new year, new me plans??
Every year my inbox gets spammed with people wanting to start the year and better themselves, this is never an issue. I will go out my way to help anyone who wants to get healthier!
There is a reason I VERY rarely take on new clients in January, this whole new year new me, will last weeks for 99% of the people filling my inbox.
STOP putting unrealistic expectations on yourself!!
Lets manage it properly, will your health improve in 30 days and then you will be done, absolutely not! You didn’t take 30 days to get to the point of being unhappy with yourself, you won’t fix it in 30 days.
Here is some of what I get:
- I want to lose weight
- I want to tone up
- I want to get stronger
- I don’t know where to start
- I need to walk 10000 steps everyday
The list goes on, these are just the top points every January.
Let's make it manageable and achievable:
1. Losing weight, toning up and getting stronger are basically all the same. When you lose fat, you look slimmer (toned), we all have muscles, for some there is just more fat on top of them than others. Getting ‘toned’ and stronger are from strength training not hours and hours of cardio. If you want to get cardio fit; your heart and lungs, then up the cardio.
So how do we achieve these 3?
Stop making it complicated, it’s simple. You need to balance your energy levels (this is the calories). We consume food for a fuel purpose, if we balance it with our fuel usage we gain, maintain or lose weight whichever is the goal.
Everyone’s metabolic rate is different, therefore we all have different calorie needs. Once you find yours, if you eat more than that you will gain weight, if you eat just the perfect number you maintain your weight and if you eat less you will lose weight.
Exercise, this is NOT a punishment!!! You should not be doing this because you fuelled your body!
Everyone should exercise for health; cardio for heart and lungs, weight training for joints and muscles. Then all of it for your mental health.
You need to find the form of exercise you enjoy the most to make your health goals achievable.
DO NOT count any calories that you burn into your fuel bank balance. When working out your calorie needs this will already have been taken into account. Trying work out your burnt calories is what leads to over complicating and misunderstanding it leads to people giving up. IGNORE that side of myfitnesspal!
2. Now you need to set realistic goals:
- If you currently walk 2500 steps per day, walking 10000 steps everyday isn’t realistic, 3500 or 4000 would be a much better goal.
- If you don’t exercise at the moment, training 5 days a week is not going to happen, let’s go for 2.
- If you don’t enjoy the weather, daily walks aren’t going to last (we live in the UK, weather isn’t on our side at this time of year)
YOUR HEALTH IS FOR LIFE, IT IS NOT A SPRINT FOR A FEW WEEKS OR MONTHS!
Imagine you set realistic and achievable goals now and managed to stick to them how you would physically and mentally feel come summer or next December? No more yo-yoing, no more setting yourself up for failure on the first day of the year!
