Happy New Year!
We can't believe its already 2021, but at the same time-can't believe it took so long to get here lol.
The start of a new year is always bittersweet. It gives us time to reflect on the past year, and look for ways to improve-which is great! Buuutt if we're being real, this can also cause a bit of anxiety, and often we get overwhelmed with the whole "New Year, New Me" idea.
One of the *most* common goals across the world every year are fitness & health goals- and while its always great to improve health, these goals are often taken to a bit of an extreme and can cause some serious discouragement when these high expectations aren't met.
So, we wanted to get some input on how to make effective fitness goals. Ones that don't stress you out or overwhelm you, but still push you to be healthier and stronger!
We talked to our friend Liz, a fitness coach with a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science (@simplyfitwithliz) to give us some tips about fitness goals-and here's what she had to say!
"The most common goal people make for the new year is to become healthier. The number one problem, is that many goals lack specificity and realism.
Whatever goal you want for the new year, make it specific! Turn "work out more" into "I'm going to the gym 5 days every week." Or turn "eat healthier" into "I'm going to have a serving of fruit and vegetables with each meal."
Now, this is where the realistic side comes in. Most often, people decide to go to the extremes with physical activity and dieting. They go from a sedentary lifestyle, to working our six days/week, eating chicken and broccoli, cutting out all the sugar, etc.
They're going to burn out real fast.
They're going to get tired. They're going to want the food that they are restricted from. And eventually they're going to drop the ball. They'll stop working out, eat all the sweets, etc, etc. Then the guilt will come because they just ruined their New Years goals.
I'm not saying this to discourage you from making goals! I'm giving this example of what usually happens when we make extreme goals and ridiculously high expectations.
Now, if you want to become more physically active, make it a realistic goal. Start out with 2-3 days/week and see how it goes from there. If you want to eat healthier, start adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. You can still eat your favorite foods and treats!
Don't feel like you have to go to extremes when it comes to bettering your health!"
And we couldn't agree more. Make goals, get better, but don't forget to enjoy life and give yourself a little grace when you mess up.
Be sure to follow Liz on Instagram at @simplyfitwithliz for more tips on health & fitness and for some great at-home workouts!
xoxo
