Yes, You can achieve your Fitness and Lifestyle Goals this Year

January 1st marks the beginning of the busy time in gyms all across America, but you need a plan to succeed.

The “New Year’s Resolution” crowd flocks to spin classes, weight rooms and stair masters the country over. As a health and wellness expert, this time of year is bittersweet. I enjoy seeing new faces at the gym, people looking to embrace their health and wellness journeys and take back control of their health. While the crowds can be a pain, those crowds rapidly dwindle and by mid-February, things get back to normal. That’s the bittersweet part. So many people begin the New Year with a goal of getting healthy. Yet so many people fail in that goal. I’m here to help you achieve your fitness and lifestyle goals. I’m here to help you shape lasting change and embrace a healthier happier you. Here are my top 5 tips to make sure you achieve your fitness and lifestyle goals this year!

1. Get a Plan

I can’t tell you the number of times I see someone new to a gym walking around like a lost puppy with no idea of what to do or where to begin. Just joining a gym isn’t enough. You need to a have a solid strategy. Take a minute to think about your goals and write them down. Studies show that just the act of writing down goals can help reinforce the behavior you want to happen.

I like using apps like the Fit with Whit app. Whitney Johns is an experienced fitness coach whose app makes it easy to work out hard, while giving you an easy meal plan and motivation to stay focused.

2. Set Realistic Expectations

Body fat percentage is a much better barometer for your fitness success and there are several scales that will measure your body fat. Why Measure Body Fat? Your body is composed of fat tissue and lean tissue. Lean mass tissue consists of muscle, as well as your internal organs, your bones and connective tissues. Fat in some areas of your body is essential, such as that around and inside the internal organs, and the brown fat located around your spine. Other fat is storage fat, such as the type that expands your waistband. Men require 2 to 5 percent fat, and women need 10 to 13 percent to support basic body functions. Measuring your body fat percentage provides an indication that you either have a healthy amount of storage fat, or excessive fat which can be very dangerous for your health. Healthy body fat percentage for woman is roughly 21 to 24 percent, while men should have 14 to 17 percent body fat. Get yourself a scale that measures body fat. I like the Rollifit Premium Smart Scale. You can find it on Amazon for $49.99. Measure your body fat and then set a realistic goal of 1% body fat reduction a month.

3. Eat and Recover Properly

All the training in the world won’t matter a lick if you still have a steady diet of cheeseburgers and french-fries. There is an old adage that bodies are made in the kitchen, not the gym. You should be embarking on a lifestyle change, not a diet fad. And that includes eating properly based on your goals and your body type. The Fit with Whit app I mentioned above has some great meal plans to help you achieve your goals. It also means recovering properly from your workouts. Omega 3 fatty acids and branched chain amino acids are two staples that you should absolutely have in your gym bag or vitamin cabinet. Omax’s Max Recovery Omega-3 is great combination of EPA and DHA which, combined with BCAA’s, help support muscle protein synthesis, the process that allows your muscles to heal and grow stronger.

4. Win the Mental Game

Turn your New Years Resolution into a lifestyle by making sure your build your new diet and exercise program into your life. If you’re afternoons are busy with kids soccer games and homework, make sure you go to the gym first thing in the morning. If you’re not a morning person, find a time that works for you. By building gym time into your lifestyle in a manner where you will be least likely to make excuses on why you can’t do it, your success probability jumps exponentially. Find the time, make the time and stay consistent. Eventually it will become a habit.

5. Get a Buddy

Whether you join a gym or buy a bunch of equipment for your basement, going at alone is one of the top reasons many people quit the health and wellness journey. A workout buddy is always a great way to ensure you can hold each other accountable. If you don’t have a buddy, use a fitness coaching App like Fit with Whit app. Whitney Johns is a top fitness coach whose app makes it easy to push yourself to work out hard, while giving you daily motivation. Plus you’ll get easy to follow meal plans to help you achieve your goals. Download it here.

Why do people create healthy New Year’s Resolutions? Usually it’s because they recognize that they don’t have the healthiest lifestyle. Unhealthy lifestyles can cause any number of long term problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and even some cancers. Whatever the reason you made the resolution, recognize that in keeping it, you take a big step towards a much healthier existence. And by following these simple hacks, you can ensure that we’ll be seeing each other in the gym in March and beyond.

←Back to Main Blog