We are five days into the New Year, the Christmas tree may or may not still be standing, the selection boxes are a distant memory and empty bottles have been brought to the bottle bank. You have set your New Years Resolutions but the weather and your willpower has played havoc with your 2018 goals and resolve already.
We’ve heard it all before and felt it too, but don’t despair, here are some tips to help you keep your resolutions on track for a few more weeks.
Take each day as a new opportunity
Life gets in the way of the best-laid plans, that is life, it’s how you adjust and react to changes in your plans that will allow you to achieve your goals. So it’s frosty outside or lashing rain, you can’t run, but you can do a core session at home, a 20-minute session will get your heart pumping and is also good for your head. Look up some sessions online there are thousands to choose from. Use the spare training time to cook up a batch of food to get you through the week ahead. Don’t get frustrated that you can’t train for whatever reason, turn it into an opportunity to do something else that will help you achieve your goal.
Get a running buddy
Running is easier when you have someone to run with, not only will they keep you accountable and motivate you to get out the door to your training but being social with one or more people whilst running helps the miles go faster. The enticement of a cuppa in the local café post run is sometimes enough to get you out of bed on a cold Saturday morning.
Clean up your diet.
Make simple small changes to your diet that over time will make a difference but don’t feel like hardship at the moment; instead of 2 biscuits with your 11 and 4 o’ clock coffee, have 1 biscuit or maybe none at all if you are very brave. Keep an eye on your calorie intake and get more fruits and vegetables into your diet on a daily basis. Get rid of the stash of chocolates that you hid away when clearing up the selection box packaging…we know you have some hidden somewhere.
Keep a journal
Keeping track of your training and your nutrition can help you stay on track when the wheels start falling off the wagon. Missed a training session don’t worry, if you have tracked the week’s workouts you will see what you have completed this week rather than feeling upset about it, be proud that you completed 80% of your plans rather than worry about the 20% not completed. This is the same with your diet, track your calorie intake so you can honestly see what you have achieved and where you need to make tweaks for the following week.
It’s a lifestyle choice
Being fit and active is the biggest investment you will make in your health, minding yourself, giving yourself the best chance of succeeding at your goals is all about choices. You can choose to sit at home on the couch, you can choose to walk a mile a day for 30 days, you can choose to run a 5k, a marathon or take up a completely new sport. Whatever you choose to do, it is a choice you make. Running and fitness should become part of your lifestyle in the long run. Just because you decide to get fit or set a big goal doesn’t mean the fun things in life need to be sacrificed. As you continue along your journey, what once maybe felt like a difficult choice or a hardship becomes part of your life, opening your mind to new possibilities, widening your social circle and setting you up with a whole new world of opportunity.
Stay positive and stay active, you can make 2018 the year where things you once thought impossible become possible.
