1. Do not start a diet:
January 1st rolls around and we are all in for a new diet! However, we have a few slip ups or the diet is too demanding, and we call it a quits before results are seen. How about we shoot for smaller, more gradual changes this year. Start by changing one thing each month. For example, if you wish to drink less alcohol, focus on that for the whole month of January. Devote your energy and focus to that cause. Then in February, build upon January's success. For example, cut down on drinking and eliminate soda during February. This will be a much more gradual and less demanding attempt at change. By 2014, you will have changed 12 things from your diet. Take it step by step!
For those who like quick change and want fast results, check out AdvoCare's 24-Day Challenge. It's a program based on sound nutrition, and it will get you off on the right foot!
2. Chase after new/different fitness goals:
Most of us are not aiming to be elite athletes and qualify for the Olympics. So why train like this? Pick up a new sport or a new goal in the weight room. Once you become good (not great/elite) at that sport or hit your goal, move on to something new and different. This will help you avoid overtraining, injuries, and becoming bored with your routine. Our bodies like to adapt! Go for a new PR in the deadlift for part of the year, and then change your focus to developing a better tennis game. Stay focused on one task until you become decent at it and then change focus and attack another goal.
3. Exercise with a friend or group of friends from time to time:
First off, our intensity and effort is often different when others are around. Maybe you are leaving a little too much in the tank during the times you exercise alone. Pair up with some friends and challenge each other. Get competitive and go a little bit further than you usually do. Don't do this every time you exercise, but aim to add an extra challenge a few times a month. Also, we all have our favorite exercises or routines. It is good to train with someone else and see a different view on things.
4. Try a different style of exercise:
This one feeds off of the two previous suggestions. We often get stuck doing the same exercises over and over again. Albert Einstein's definition of insanity: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." I feel that many of us fall into this trap. Based off the trends I see in fitness centers, I have two recommendations. Girls, try lifting some heavier weights from time to time. Why waste your time doing 2x50+ reps of the same exercise. Challenge yourself with some extra weight and dip down to 10 or fewer reps per set here and there. I promise, you won't get huge. Guys, try some group exercise classes. Take an hour long class of Yoga , Pilates, or a Body Pump. You'll be surprised at how challenging it is, and you might end up actually liking it. Scary, I know.
5. Exercise somewhere different:
Mix it up from you typical gym! Exercising at the same place every time can get boring. Venture out to other gyms, go outside, or just find a new place to get moving. I'm not saying ditch your "home" gym completely; yet, mix it up! Being in a new environment will keep you fresh and expose you to other styles of training! Find a new trail to run, go to a park and do a bodyweight routine, or meet a friend at their gym of choice.
6. Read:
Read anything that might help you better yourself in 2013! The options are endless. Read a book about stress management or a training style you're not familiar with. Read about new recipes that make healthy eating taste good. Read a story about how someone battled back through great adversity. Here's the kicker, do not try to take everything you read and apply it to your life. Take bits and pieces from each thing you read, similar to making changes to your diet. Take a piece, not the whole pie!
7. Help others with their health and fitness goals:
Let's be honest, the USA is not doing too hot when it comes to health and fitness. Pass on your excitement and knowledge of health and fitness to others! Help others spark change! Helping someone else may just ignite even greater change for yourself!
Yours in fitness,
Bo