“New Year, New You” – the slogan that gives me the willies!
But, what’s wrong with me?!
With that kind of motivation, you’re already off to a negative start that you are no good and you need to look better/be better if you’re to succeed this year.
So you join the gym and tell yourself you will workout every day… but you only end up going on the same treadmill every time, uninspired and nothing happens to your body so you quit.
You start running, believing it’s cheaper than going to the gym… but you get shin splints and plantar fasciitis because you’ve never run before and now are suddenly pounding the hard streets.
You take up yoga, but you feel intimidated by the slender crop top wearing bodies and packed out classes so you stop going.
You get a gym personal trainer to help you lift weights, but your back and knees hurt so you give up.
These are REAL life quotes from some of our clients who all fell into the same New Year, New You, fitness marketing vibes that are the same every year.
Until they learnt how to do YOU!
You see, when it comes to fitness and exercise, it has to be personal and individual. Sure, make some goals to help motivate you, but rather than saying “I want to lose weight” then being disappointed when the scales don’t show your hard work, try focusing on how you feel instead.
“I want to feel healthier” means that doing exercise isn’t about the scales, but it’s about how you feel when you move your body and how those healthy improvements impact your everyday life from feeling better in your jeans, to being able to run for the bus without passing out with exhaustion, to having happier joints that don’t ache and grumble when you pick up the kids/grandchildren.
So if you don’t actually like running or it hurts your knees- don’t do it!
If you feel intimidated by large class sizes, find somewhere that does small classes or try something online from your own home.
If you prefer dancing over spin class, why not dance around your living room energetically for 30 minutes three times a week?
It’s about doing YOU!
Written by Michelle.
Read next about TIPS FOR GOAL SETTING