It’s New Years and you are determined to make THIS the year you reach your health and fitness goals.
There are hundreds of different systems, programs, coaches, trainers, and strategies you can use to reach your health and fitness goal. As one of those coaches, let me give you my best piece of advice.
It’s not groundbreaking and it’s extremely simple.
START SMALL!
I know, starting small is not exciting.
I get it you’re pumped-up and motivated, so why not crush a 6-7 day a week workout plan or try that detox that helped your friend lose 14 pounds in 10 days! You want quick results right? So why not go all in?
But here’s the thing, who cares if you lose 10 or 20 pounds this January, if you can’t keep it off through February, March, and April. Who cares if you make it to the gym 28 times in January, only to not step foot in the gym for the rest of the year?
Instead of trying to finish your health and fitness goal in January, let January be the catalyst for integrating a LONG TERM health and fitness lifestyle.
Starting small does exactly that, as one small step can be the catalyst that leads to tremendous changes in your life this year!
So what ONE thing can you do this week, that will take you closer to your goal? What’s the smallest step that you can take?
Here are a few simple suggestions that can act as a powerful catalysts, get the ball rolling, and ultimately lead to you crushing not just your January health and fitness goals, but your entire years goals!
1. Drink More Water
One of the easiest ways to reduce your caloric intake is swap out sugar-laden calorie dense drinks for water. Try it, trade that pop for water and see what happens!
2. Get More Sleep
Sleep deprived people are shown to be more susceptible to late night snacking and more likely to eat high carb foods. Insufficient sleep also increases the hormone Ghrelin (increases appetite), and lowers the hormone Leptin (tells your body you’re full). This is a recipe for weight gain.
Your 4am workout each morning this January is admirable, but might not be your best strategy to actually help you lose weight!
Get some sleep!
3. Add an additional vegetable to each meal.
Adding an additional vegetable into each meal is not the most exciting thing to do, but nutritionally dense low calorie foods like vegetables are weight loss powerhouses!
Each meal incorporate a vegetable into your diet while removing some other starchy junk food. May seem odd, but try asparagus for breakfast instead of toast.
4. Resistance train one or two times this week.
Resistance training is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your physique. However, most people take an approach based on volume. Programs like P90x and bootcamps crank you through movement with an aim to burn calories.
Shift your focus to building strength and master a few simple yet powerful exercises. Four powerful exercises like Split Squats, Single Leg Roman Deadlifts, Overhead Press, and Pullups can transform your body! It can really be as simple as building strength through just a few movements like those.
Start with twice a week, not 6 or 7!
5. Start your morning with a walk.
Start each morning with a 20 to 30 minute walk. Daily movement matters, and starting the day with movement is an easy way to prime yourself for positive behavior the rest of the day.
It’s easier to skip the doughnut when you walk into work if you have already put in a 20 minute brisk walk. Start the day on a healthy note and let it carry you through the rest of your day.
So ask yourself, what small step can you take this week? Take one.