Picture this…you wake up January 1 and you start to make your list of goals for 2013. What if…just once…you don’t have to put the same goal you’ve been putting down for the past who-knows-how-many years?! You’ve got 2 months RIGHT NOW to make it happen!
Start how I like to start…make a list. Make it as specific and realistic as possible so that when you accomplish that one part of the bigger picture you can cross it off! Make a list that you can cross off accomplishments and not just results.
In other words, make one of your goals to workout every other day…or 3-4 times a week. And then every week you can cross that off! Here are some good ideas for goals to add to your list depending on what you want your end results to be.
- If you want to lose weight à I will only eat treats when I’m out with friends or family or on special occasions. This is a great goal because it cuts out all the mindless snacking we do at home. You’d be amazed at the difference this will make without feeling deprived.
- If you want to try new exercises à I will try one new exercise every 2 weeks. This is such a great way to prevent yourself from getting bored…and better yet, it also prevents your body from reaching a plateau. There are so many dvd’s out there, or classes. I personally go through phases where I love to exercise by myself at home and when I prefer to be challenged by the people around me. I have tons of dvd’s but I also love to go to classes to learn new techniques.
- If you want to gain more muscle à I will do resistance training every other day taking one week off at the end of every month to do less stressful workouts. I cannot tell you how many people do not believe this technique. Try it! Trust me. After taking one week off at the end of every month to do less intense exercise, your body will feel rejuvenated and you will be able to lift more weight than ever before and you’ll notice a difference more quickly. Your body needs a break and this is a great way to do it!
- I want to lose fat à I will try to eat as little processed sugar as possible. The myth is that eating fat makes you fat…when in reality it’s sugar. Sugar opens up those fat cells and fills them up! Now obviously eating no sugar would not be good because sugar is in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. The kind of sugar you should be cutting out is refined sugar in processed foods.
- I want to increase my cardio à I want to do 3-4 cardio workouts a week including intervals in at least 2-3 of them. Intervals are not only one of the fastest ways to help you lose weight, they are also a much quicker way to gain endurance and build a healthy cardiovascular system. You would think that to build endurance you need to do endurance exercises such as running for at least half an hour but that is no longer the case. Science shows that exercising for shorter bursts of high intensity interval training sessions will increase your endurance faster and more efficiently.
Start your list of goals today and see how much you can accomplish by the time the New Year comes around!! You’d be amazed at how fast things can change when you’re motivated and have a detailed plan. Good luck and keep track of all your progress!
Keep Well…Kristy
