"It takes 21 days for an activity to become a habit and 6 months for that habit to become part of your lifestyle."
Just started in 2018, surely most of your acquaintances have in mind some fitness purpose for the rest of the year. Some will sign up for the gym, some may dare with a marathon and others will download a mobile application that helps them get up from the couch and go for a run.
Having New Year’s resolutions is fine, but it’s better to keep them . To help you achieve this, we show you seven tips below:
1. Do not pond in a routine that does not work
What habits would you like to change? Do you leverage when you get home after work and you can not gather strength to go to the gym? Do you train without problems on weekends but it’s hard to get into it during the week?
First of all, it is important that they be realistic goals. “Any goal is achievable, but you have to make sure that you have set some realistic parameters that you can assume,” explains coach Autumn Calabrese .
2. Be aware of why you propose something
“Knowing why you [your goals] can keep you on the right track when temptation comes in. Think about it in depth Do not just say ‘I want to lose weight’ Here’s an example: Why do I want to lose weight? Because I want to feel good. And what is it to feel good? It means being comfortable with oneself, why do I think it’s important to feel good and with confidence, because I want to prove to myself that I’m good enough, “says Calabrese.
3. Establish a plan
Instead of setting goals for the end of the year (‘I’m going to run a marathon’), propose a gradual plan week by week for smaller purposes.
Luke Chamberlain explains it this way: “It is time to make feasible and not excessive plans.” One of the main reasons why people fail to keep changing habits is because they try to change a lot suddenly and do not follow any plan ”
Short-term objectives (daily or weekly) are easier to achieve than long-term ones (monthly or quarterly).
“By writing down the plan, you are reaffirming that the change is going to work,” says Chamberlain.
And keep in mind these words of Autumn Calabrese: “It takes 21 days for an activity to become a habit and six months for that habit to become part of your lifestyle.” It is not something that happens at night. the morning, so be patient and do not be too hard on yourself or give up if you see that it costs you, because it is part of the process. ”
4. Get the support of other people
It is always harder to skip a training session if you have committed to go with a friend. In the same way, it is more difficult for you to abandon your goals if you have already mentioned them to your gym partner / personal trainer / friend / family member.
Luke Chamberlain explains it in the following way: “By telling other people what you want to change, you are more likely to receive the support you need and you may find that there are more people with the same goals who want to be part of the change. and friends get involved. ”
Autumn Calabrese agrees and adds: “Union is strength, having other people with your same motivations or with whom you can talk to receive support will make it much easier to keep you on track.”
5. Track your progress
You have already written down your objectives, you have ordered them and you have established a plan. Now it’s time to see how it works. Personal trainer Lucy Arnold says it’s a good way to see how you approach your goals.
Did you just lift 10 kilos for the first time? Have you made your iron longer? Have you endured more than ever running? Put it in writing. So you can see that you are on time to achieve what you have proposed.
“Training diaries are a great way to detect what is not right to make adjustments and change things,” says Lucy Arnold.
“By registering your activity, it is much easier to create positive habits and establish a routine, instead of squeezing yourself to the maximum without any kind of plan and expecting everything to be perfect.” A newspaper will also help you take responsibility for what you do. three months and you have not improved anything or updated it, you will have to rethink some things and analyze why you do not advance, if, on the contrary, you see that you keep improving, you can continue doing what already works for you “.
6. Open the mind
If it costs you to meet your goals, do you think there could be more reasons?
“There is not enough emphasis on how beneficial it is for the body to rest well, sleep is an important part of staying and staying healthy, and sleep controls the immune system, the aging process and metabolism,” insists Lucy Arnold.
“A single night sleeping badly or without sleep can cause important effects on the body, mental health and mood, I recommend at least seven hours of sleep to notice the difference in energy levels and in the main functions of the body. body, “he says.
7. Celebrate your successes
“Give yourself rewards every time you meet one of the partial objectives of your plan, but if you deviate from the path, do not punish yourself or take back the bad habits you used to,” advises Luke Chamberlain.
“May it serve as a life experience, think why you have fallen into the slip and focus on returning to the right path and a proper mindset to achieve change,” he concludes.
Now you are ready to achieve it.