Active in NWI: Keeping That New Year’s Resolution

Active in NWI: Keeping That New Year’s Resolution

2016 is nearly here. This is the time when everyone will make their New Year's resolutions and (hopefully) stick to them.

We’ll make promises to be healthier, stop smoking, save money, lose that 30 lbs., etc. and some of us will keep these promises, and then some of us will try again next year.

So how do we stop the cycle of giving up?

Let’s start at the beginning of the thought chain, and think about what we want (or do not want) to do.

“I want to learn CrossFit.”

That’s a good idea. Now think about why you want to learn it.

“I want to be healthier, I’d like to challenge myself, it’s something I’ve never done before, I’d like to surround myself with people who are fit and in turn will motivate me to get and stay fit, I want a rockin’ bod.”

All good reasons. Now, is this something that you really want to do?

“Sort of, my girlfriend wants me to workout with her and she said we should do this.”

Seems like your heart isn’t in it (but it might very well be and you plan to become a CrossFit king with your girlfriend being your super fit queen. I can’t read your thoughts). Maybe you should find something that you actually want to do. Or you might answer:

“Yes, I want to try this. I am motivated and interested.”

Okay, then make a plan to stick to your New Year’s resolution. Like a workout regimen, having a plan will help you visualize your goal and you will have small, realistic steps that you can take to get to your goal. You have an entire year to learn CrossFit after all.

But be realistic. If you have the idea that you are going to dominate the 2016 CrossFit Games but have never set foot in a CrossFit facility, then you might want to scale it back a bit. Those people who compete in those games have been training for years so maybe try working on perfecting technique instead.

So you have a realistic goal and a plan to achieve it. You are motivated and ready to start. So start.

This is typically the hardest part. Join a CrossFit gym and actually show up and actually work out. Enlist the help of a personal trainer to help you get started correctly.

And now, also hard, is sticking to your plan of becoming a CrossFit king (or queen). There are many ways to do it. Enlist the help of a buddy and have him or her hold you accountable, have a reward system in place where you get to do something you like if you attend classes for a week, break up your goal into smaller goals that can each be achieved quickly.

“I have no time, I’m tired, I’m sore, I just don’t want to.”

All valid excuses, but still excuses. If you have time to sit and binge-watch Entourage, then you have time to workout. Try the 10 Minute Trick. Just promise yourself that you’ll go for 10 minutes. You can do anything for 10 minutes. Who knows, you might lose track of time and find that you were at the gym for an hour.

Something to remember is that if you trip up, you can still get up and keep trying. Sometimes you genuinely have no time to spare, or you might be sick, or the doctor ordered you to stay out of the gym for a while to save your back. Just take time to recover, and get back to your goal when you are able to. It all depends on how badly you want it.

*Please note that the opinion expressed is exactly that: an opinion. I'm not a medical doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, or anything else ending in "ist". I'm just sharing my thoughts and hope that readers find enjoyment in them.