NEW YEAR NEW YOU: THE GUIDE TO SUCCESS
With the New Year many people decide to make a good change, start working on themselves and join a gym\health club.
Here is my simple guide to make this year a successful one:
1- Plan a sustainable training routine
If your work and family commitments did not allow you to train last year do not expect to be training 4 times a week now just because the calendar has changed. Plan a more realistic training regime, 2\3 hours a week is more than enough to keep you progressing. Also, If you haven’t trained consistently in a while, hitting the gym 5 times a week is not sustainable for you body and it is not going to last.
2-Be consistent
Do not jump on diets you can’t sustain long term. Do not starve yourself and start doing a silly amount of cardio vascular training. They did not work last year for a reason.
3-Do not use the scale
Do not track your progress with the number on the scale. Take body measurements or use your clothes to check how your body reacts to the training. Progression will not be linear with weight loss on the scale.
4-Set realistic goals
You did not get where you are in only few days, you did not put on weight in few weeks. It will take you time to get back into a good shape. You might want to rethink you 6\8 weeks deadline. Be patient, no one who gave their best ever regretted it.
5-learn to enjoy the process
It is going to be really tough to stick to the gym and the training if you hate every minute of it. Have a chat before and after each sessions, socialise, make some friends and the gym will be a much more pleasant place to be.
6-Do not be afraid of trainers
Do not delay learning what you need to learn until you “get fit” or “lose weight”. Make the most of your time in the gym and get an expert advise. It will save you months of trial and error.
7-Energy management over time management
It's not just about making the time in the gym, it's about making a good training session count to keep progressing. If you keep hitting the gym when you are exhausted you won't get the most out of it. Plan your training session when you are fully charged.