For a lot of us December marks a time of reflection, a time for year end considerations. Whether it is for the lessons we learnt, the joys we experienced, the milestones accomplished, something about welcoming a new year puts us in a goal setting and reflective mindset.
“December marks a time of reflection, a time for year end considerations.”
One thing to highlight is that although our time is broken up into hours, days, months, and years, health and fitness is a journey. A journey which doesn’t start or end within a year. It is a continuous spectrum of commitment, improvements, and maybe some slumps. Perfection is not the goal. Attention to health and fitness is an adoption of a lifestyle that works for you.
Ask these questions and let these answers help you prepare for the year ahead.
1. What have been the most triumphant achievements in your fitness routine this year?
Make a list of your accomplishments. Writes this list honestly and realistically. If you’re someone who never worked out and you managed to go into the gym once a week for a few weeks, that’s an achievement to highlight. If it was to complete the Spartan race, write that down!
The point here is to highlight all the progress you’ve made this year. Whether small or big remember progress is progress!
2. When were moments where your priority on fitness fell short? What was it triggered by?
Identify when and where you experienced a slump in your routine. Whether it was a few days, a few months, or even simply losing the motivation to workout. Identify each of those situations and identify the why, what happened and, what was or can be done to resolve the slump.
For example, I lost the motivation to workout at one point this year.
Why/What Happened: I became bored of going to a gym by myself.
Solution: I decided to try different workouts and classes. (Here’s why keeping your body guessing is important).
If you didn’t experience any slumps, celebrate that and identify what kept you going this year.
3. What has helped you stay committed or what do you think will help you stay committed?
Consider what has helped you this year. What helped you stay committed to your routine and your health? Whether it was to become role models for your children or whether it took a few friends to push you along, no answer is universal. This answer depends on you, your life, and your preference.
Identify the parameters which has helped you stay committed. What helped you stay focused? What distracted you?
4. What will I do differently this year? What are areas of improvement?
There’s always room to improve. Don’t take the bait of getting too comfortable! Whether in a small way or big way, there’s no end to improvements. Is it to eat healthier lunches? Is it to eat breakfast everyday? Is it to add yoga into your routine?
Whatever the improvements, think about what your main goal is. Is it to achieve a healthier weight? Is it to become leaner? Is it to have more balance in your body?
Whatever the goals, identify them clearly and have a list to reference. This list will be your cheat sheet. Allow this list to help you make decisions that will help you towards your goals.
