Find a Great Coach

would you try to build your home without professional fitness instructors or guidance?  How about learning a new language?  Cook a 5-star meal?  Learning how to exercise and train properly is no different.  It is not an inherent skill we are born with.  Find someone who has spent their life learning how to do these things. And someone who can effectively coach you on how to do them. It will speed up the learning curve dramatically, produce better results, and help keep you moving forward while minimizing your risk of injury and setback.

The Systemic Approach of a Great Coach

Another thing a great coach will implement is a systemic way to approach and accomplish your goals.  Our bodies are designed in a certain way.  Our bodies consume, burn, and store energy in a certain way. It responds to different stimulus levels and repairs in specific ways.  These systems are well-researched and guide proper programming and progression in the exercise world.  This is a valuable skill set.  This is only one example of why having a great coach is essential to making a New Year’s resolution a lasting change. Leverage the skills of private fitness coaches in Albion to give yourself the best chance at success! 

The Power of Commitment

Commit- Getting in shape means different things to different people, but we all agree it is hard, no matter your goals.  Realize that it will take a firm commitment to reach your goals.  Strategies to improve your level of commitment include writing down your goals and displaying them where you will view them often (daily or hourly is even better).  Tying your commitment to a financial incentive (this is heavily dependent on the type of person you are/ how much you value money).  Tying your commitment to a health-related outcome (being able to participate in the family hike, having no reservations about the summer beach trip, or pushing back father time are all admirable goals).

Communication

Communicate with your circle & with your fitness pro.  

*Communication With Your Circle is Enormous.

This is your spouse, kids, parents, friends, co-workers, and anyone you see daily.  These people will either make or break your fitness experience.  Even the most dedicated clients only see their coaches for a few hours a week, but the people in your circle influence your behaviour daily!  Communicating with them your goals and reasons for change is very important.  You will need to get these people on board significantly to give yourself the best chance at making those New Year’s resolutions stick!

If you and your spouse are not on the same page about New Year’s resolutions, that’s ok. But please communicate with each other what is acceptable and what isn’t. Your spouse shouldn’t undermine your fitness and diet goals. And trust me, I have seen this happen many times (not pretty!)

Example: If weight loss and health are goals, please get on the same page about when and how often pizza is on the menu! 

*Communication With Your Fitness Pro.

Before you begin your fitness journey, any good fitness pro should ask about your goals.  This starts a dialogue that should continue throughout your time spent together…  It should be revisited and amended occasionally.  These conversations are great tools to remind us why we started this in the first place.  They are often very recharging and refocusing conversations and can be the difference between a client that fizzles out or the rare client that reaches their goals and makes the New Year’s resolution stick!

Surviving the Winter Slump

The most critical workouts will be the ones that come in late January and February, the dog days of winter.  This is when shiny, glamorous New Year’s resolution motivation runs out. And all that is left is old hard work.  This is when your commitment will truly be tested.  This is where about 90% of people fail. And this is the make-or-break season.

Mastering the Winter Challenge

We can combat this with the right mindset, knowing what challenges await us as we dive deeper into the winter abyss.  We need to give ourselves the best chance by creating support networks, having a coach or friend hold us accountable, and prominently displaying visually our goals and why we are doing this!

Pursuing Confidence in Your Fitness Goals

Fitness, weight loss, strength gain, whatever your goals may be, they are admirable and worth working for.  It is truly unique to know you can feel confident in your skin and that nothing is physically holding you back from living the best life possible.  

The journey is long, and the road is full of obstacles, but with these 4 nuggets of insider information, you will have the best chance at making your New Year resolutions stick!

Work Smarter, not harder.

Your Trainer,

Alex