New Year, New You?!?!
Rough Terrain Race in Vilseck Germany
Everyone has heard about the failure rate of New Year's Resolutions. Many memes talk about how the gym will be full for the next couple weeks and then things will be back to normal. So why do most people fail and why can’t they make the changes needed? Here we are, a couple weeks into the New Year, and I’d ask you how you are doing on your resolution. It might be difficult to admit that you are already behind or failed to hold yourself accountable. I’m here to talk about the fact it isn’t all your fault.
Life is demanding. We have distractions and requirements that fill our days and calendars. Most days we hit the rack exhausted and knowing that we failed to accomplish all the things we should have. I’ve found that it’s because of our failure to manage the margins correctly. If we added up those minutes, we would see that we have time available, we just manage it incorrectly. So here is a list of things to ask yourself, keep a mental note. No one is judging, this is for you.
-How often do you get on your phone to look at something and before you know it, you’re mindlessly scrolling social media?
-Do you do the same on your work or personal computer? Getting on to do some work, but checking on the lives of others first?
- How much time do you spend watching TV or mindlessly looking for the next show to binge watch?
-When you do make it into the gym, even when it’s in your garage, how much procrastination exists before you start the workout… “Looking for that perfect song.”
I think the point has been made; we spend a lot of time looking at things that really don’t add value to our lives. It can become consuming and in some ways addictive behavior. They are not the problem, it’s your attention that is the problem. We are easily distracted, and this allows us to do something that distracts us and at the same time does nothing to contribute to our lives. I’ll bet you can’t even tell me what the last reel/post was that you watched.
We could blame technology, as that’s the trend that was discussed above. However, before technology I’m sure as humans we had different distractions and wasted time as well. So, let’s just call it as it is and realize our minds are the problem. We need to focus, more importantly we need to set ourselves up for success.
If your goal is to work out every day, then schedule time the night prior to lay out your workout clothes and decide on the program we will follow. Ensure that your schedule has buffer time built in so that when distractions happen, we can’t make excuses. If all else fails, the mantra: “do something no matter what” even if it’s just a set of sit-ups, pushups, or step ups for 10 minutes. If it’s to read more, are you taking the time to decide what to read and positioning it in places that will ensure you pick that up as opposed to saying: “I’ll go grab it in 10 minutes, until then I’ll check Instagram.” Before you know it, you’ve wasted 30 minutes and need to get somewhere.
My all-time favorite is healthier eating, this one is harder and takes time. My best advice is to eliminate one unhealthy item. Once you’ve conquered that then move onto meals, eating a healthier breakfast and keep on going until your diet grows better and better. Realize that to eat healthier you need to spend the time preparing foods. That’s why Mrs. AIP and I will often tell people that want to be healthier, that they don’t need to diet or try a new fitness program. They just need to commit to making a lifestyle change.
You need to realize that things take time, you will make mistakes and have setbacks. When these setbacks happen, commit to correcting them and not making the same mistake tomorrow. One minor setback or even a bad week is not a reason to throw the whole resolution out the window. Habits are built over time and in some situations, you are trying to completely reprogram your mind. Give yourself some grace and realize that it’s a journey, one that you will build upon month after month and year after year.
~Mike
