New Year’s Resolutions? How about New Year’s REVOLUTION!
Are you the type that makes resolutions at the beginning of a new year? How does that usually play out for you? If you are like many, new year's resolutions can often be a list of goals, things we want to change about our current habits/behaviors or things we would like to accomplish in the coming year. It’s GREAT to be reflective and have aspirations for making positive change in our lives! Yet after all the years of working in the fitness/wellness industry, I think we can all benefit from approaching “resolutions” with a slightly different lens.
Focus on “adding”, not “taking away”
One of the most common resolutions we see focuses on weight loss and nutrition. Coming off of the holidays, and the overconsumption that often happens, many people feel the urge to adopt a strict regime or jump on the next fad bandwagon to shed the excess holiday pounds as quickly as possible.
As a nutrition coach, I hear a lot of statements like these:
“I’m not going to eat bread for 30 days.”
“I’m going to go keto.”
“I’ve decided to try intermittent fasting”
“No carbs until February!”
Unfortunately, sentiments like these just play into a cycle of restriction that is typically followed up by falling off the bandwagon, saying, “NOTHING WORKS anymore”, and the cycle continues!
Reframing the goal: Instead of setting goals around eliminating foods or food groups, my challenge to you guys going into 2024 is to ADD some nutrient dense foods to your daily intake that will improve your overall health. Most of us still do not get enough protein. How about adding one extra serving of lean protein to your day? This could be 3-4 ounces of lean meat, 1 cup of cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, 2 eggs, a palm sized portion of tofu or fish. The same can be said about veggies and fruits! Can we set an intention to add one fruit and one serving of vegetables to each day?
Forget “good” vs. “bad”
I also want to challenge the idea that certain foods and food groups should be off limits or the idea that there are “good and bad” foods. When we label and restrict things we LOVE, we give them more power and often this ends in overeating.
If we work hard to find a happy balance all throughout the year, we will likely have less of a tendency to go crazy during the holidays or special occasions. This approach allows you to operate from an abundance mindset, rather than a restrictive mindset, and in the end, can still help us eat less of what we should be limiting, and more of what our body really NEEDS!
Focus on Building a Solid Fitness Foundation
When motivation is running extra high (ahem, like in January), many folks decide to really ramp up their exercise regime. I am certainly not discouraging more movement, however the type of movement you do daily can have a huge impact on when and how you reach your wellness goals AND your relationship with movement in general.
I want to shed light on the importance of taking time for foundational aspects of training that often get overlooked or ignored in favor of the higher intensity stuff. This is why we have developed our Tier system, so there is a clear path to creating your strongest, most resilient body. The foundation of your overall fitness is built in Tier 1 - these are your mobility, stability and active recovery classes.
Reframing the goal: Our challenge to you in 2024 is to PRIORITIZE Tier 1 sessions, just as you prioritize your Strength (Tier 2) and Cardio (Tier 3) sessions! Aim for 1-2 of these per week and let us know how much BETTER your body feels!
Your Secret Wellness Weapon: More Sleep, Less Stress
I don’t know about you guys, but when I get excited to achieve new goals in the new year, I sometimes think I can TAKE ON THE WORLD! Putting so much pressure on myself, adding extra “to-do’s” to my daily list, that after a short time, I feel overwhelmed and burned out. I see this with others too.
Also, did you know that how you manage stress matters? Your stress levels can have a huge impact on how your body responds (or doesn’t) to exercise and nutrition interventions. If we are running ourselves ragged, trying to do all the things, without attention to rest and relaxation of the nervous system, our bodies will rebel and be more prone to inflammation and fat storage.
Reframing the goal: Sometimes, adding another workout isn’t what we need. For some of you, that time might be better spent…
…doing an activity that calms your mind and nurtures your spirit
…meal prepping to reduce decision fatigue
…having a technology free date night
…reading or meditating
…taking a walk in nature
In this same vein, if I could have ONE wish for all of you, it would be to SLEEP MORE! I know we have talked before about the harmful effects of suboptimal sleep, and the magic of sleep for body composition improvements and quite frankly, LONGEVITY! Instead of staying up an extra hour to finish that project for work or scroll social media, or watch television, I HIGHLY encourage you to shut down electronics 30 minutes to an hour earlier than usual. The artificial blue light emitted from screens disrupts circadian rhythm, which confuses your body into thinking it is day time, and your sleep will likely suffer.
If you can optimize sleep, you will see your body achieve new levels of performance during the day, have an easier time losing body fat because of better balanced hormones and appetite control, as well as recover and come back stronger from your workouts!
Lean on our CORE57 Philosophy
One really powerful factor when it comes to setting and achieving goals is having SUPPORT and a community of like minded individuals to be on the journey TOGETHER! That saying, “If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together” is so true!
At CORE57, each month we place extra focus on one of our 7 Foundations, which are lifestyle habits and factors that promote optimal wellness. The reason for this, is that studies have proven that focusing on ONE thing and doing it REALLY well, improves the likelihood of having a particular habit STICK for good. And doing things WITH others, like our amazing CORE57 Community, also greatly improves consistency and enjoyment!
In 2024, Be Strong. Be Better. Be You. CORE57 can help
If the clock struck midnight and you set out to be a stronger, healthier, happier you in 2024 – we encourage you to reframe your relationship with health and wellness and to give our methodology a try. Our assessment process allows us to really get to know and understand you and your body and your goals and then allows us to write a fully custom fitness prescription to help guide you on your journey to stronger, healthier days ahead. Our amazing staff and community at CORE57 would LOVE to help you set forth on a better path to ultimate wellness going into 2024, get in touch with us today!