Wow. What. A. Year.
I know you don’t need me to say it, but I want to congratulate every single one of my clients, followers, readers, friends and family for getting through this year. It’s been a serious test for a lot of us, and it’s been amazing to see people commit to staying positive, keep going and opening themselves up to this new way of life we have been living.
And now we are at the brink of 2021! When I look back to January 1st 2020, I had no way of foreseeing the journey I would go on, and I’d like to carry that idea into 2021. The way we have always done things doesn’t necessarily exist anymore, and in that light i’d love us to
RIP UP OUR RESOLUTIONS!
You heard me correctly. I, a personal trainer, am asking you to ditch your resolutions. Or at least the ones we all like to set. You know what i mean… the “I’m going to lose a stone by the end of January” or the “I’m going to run a marathon even though i’ve never liked running before” or the personal favourite of mine, “I’m going to give up drinking and fast food and sugar and carbohydrates until 2022”. I’m sure you can imagine my sniggering face at all of these. Because let’s be honest, these are goals that can be achieved… but only through some incredibly harsh training, or dieting, or restrictions! When our world has been nothing but restrictions for the best part of the year, I’d like us to reconsider our resolutions and come up with some that are a little kinder, achievable and supportable by our friends and family!
So…. How do we start? Well there are three factors you must meet for your new New Years resolutions to be truly kind to yourself. These are:
Is this a goal where I will enjoy the process of achieving it?
Is this going to be something I can share with my friends or family?
Is this an achievable goal for where I am at right now?
Let’s look at some old resolutions and try some alternatives following the above:
Instead of
“I want to lose X pounds by the end of January”
why not try
“I aim to exercise for 30 minutes three times a week”.
The original goal is already going to put us on a path of a punishing diet, gruelling workouts and, let’s be honest, it just won’t be very fun! The alternative means we can break it down into something manageable, something we can focus on and is something which we can make fun. Exercise could be a dance class, a long dog walk or a bike ride with a friend! If we lose some weight by committing to some physical activity, then that is an added bonus! Plus, this goal is easy to be kept accountable on. You could ask a partner or friend to do your workouts with you, or get the help of a personal trainer (Hello!) to keep you on track!
Instead of
“I’m going to cut out all carbohydrates”
why not try
“I’m going to cook a new plant-based meal once a week”.
Cutting out entire food groups is a sure fire way to yoyo-ing your weight up and down, not to mention a quick method to being completely miserable. And though some of us should really moderate how much we eat or drink, a different food goal may be better for you and the planet! So why not try and make this more enjoyable? By endeavouring to learn a new plant-based recipe once a week, you are learning a new skill, broadening your tastes and cooking can be a great activity for your entire family to be involved in.
Instead of
“I’m going to run a marathon”
why not try
“I’m going to work on improving my 5k running time”.
I’m all for fitness challenges! Marathons are an incredible test of endurance and physical fitness. But so many of us commit to goals far beyond our current capabilities in the hope that it will give us serious motivation. Actually, it can make the process of training seem like a chore. If you aren’t a big runner yet, why not download Couch to 5k and work on maintaining or improving your 5k running time? Or, if you want a way to raise money for charity and keep fit, why not first aim for a smaller 10k or 5k charity run, like Race for Life? Remember, everyone’s mental marathons look different. It can be 26.2 miles, or being able to run 5k in under 40 minutes. Both of these goals are incredible, so make sure you pick a goal that is achievable for you!
So … I didn’t quite want us to get rid of our resolutions. But I hope that by turning these classic resolutions on their heads, you can see that creating kind goals for ourselves is just as useful, important and manageable! I can’t wait to see what you all aim to achieve this year: whether it be mastering your squats, running for 15 minutes straight or accepting your changing and beautiful body. Your goals are yours, and I can’t wait to support you no matter what you choose! Have an incredible new year, be safe and healthy and i’ll see you in 2021 when we can tackle your resolutions head on!
With love,
– Danielle x
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