Although the holiday season is filled with fun festivities, great food, and family time, it is also filled with stress due to the amount of things needed to get done– gift wrapping, shopping, food preparation, baking, get-togethers/parties, etc. It gets so hectic that many times it is hard to keep up with one’s personal goals, especially with fitness and nutrition. And that’s completely okay! The holiday season is meant to be with family and enjoying delicious home-made meals together. This is why new year resolutions are such a big thing in our society, it gives people the motivation to jump back on track after having a mini-celebratory period during the holidays.
It is great to see people jump back into their daily life and routine after the holidays. There is always a high level of motivation and people look refreshed after taking a small break. However, some people return to their fitness/nutrition goals and go a little too hard. They have unrealistic expectations and end up burning out, causing them to fall off track and losing consistency. When one returns back to the gym and a routine, they have to assimilate back appropriately so they can adjust before going full throttle. Below are a few of our recommendations on preventing burn-out and getting back into your fitness/nutrition journey.
Set SMART goals
Goal setting is vital! We encourage everyone to identify their goals in order for them to have an idea of what they are wanting to work for. If you don’t have goals, then what are you working for?
SMART goals is “a well-established tool that you can use to plan and achieve your goals.” It allows you to format your goals so that they are reasonable and achievable. We want to prevent people from making goals that are unrealistic. Imagine someone who has never benched before, and they come into the gym with the goal of benching 350 lbs…they will be in for a rude awakening and it may discourage them from continuing when they realize they are nowhere near this goal.
SMART stands for:
Create a Plan
Once you have established what your goals are, it’s time to develop a plan! When writing out a plan, things to consider are:
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How much time do you have to dedicate to your goals?
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What are potential barriers/roadblocks preventing you from your goal or maintaining consistency?
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What metrics do you want to measure? (Strength numbers, running times, body fat measurements, muscle mass measurements, jump height, etc)
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Are there any big events or vacations coming up that may steer you off from your plan? If so, how will you be able to adjust?
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What actions do you need to take to start the plan/continue the plan?
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What are your backup plans if plan A doesn’t work out?
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Setting a consistent, non-negotiable time each day to focus on your goals.
Track your Metrics
Data is imperative. The only way to know if you’re improving is to measure your progress through a metric. How do you know if you’re getting stronger? How do you know if you’re recovering/sleeping more? How do you know if you’re gaining muscle mass? DATA!
Here are some useful metrics to consider:
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Strength/Fitness:
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Rep maxes (1RM, 3RM, 5RM, etc) in Squat, Bench, Deadlift, or other lift variation
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VO2 max
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Running times (per distance)
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Rowing times (2K, 5K, 10K, etc)
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Single Unders/Double Unders per minute
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Jump Height
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Nutrition:
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Water intake
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Protein intake
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Macros (Protein/Carbs/Fat)
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Servings veggies consumed per day
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General Health & Wellness:
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Sleep hours per night
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Stress levels
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Body Fat/Muscle Mass
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Having an effective tracking system is the way to go. Some people like writing out their metrics in a notebook, other people like having it on their phone in a spreadsheet or app. It all depends on the person. Personally, I use the “Google Sheets” App on my phone, where I track my sleep, workout rating from 1 (bad workout)-10 (awesome workout), and strength numbers. I have my phone with me everywhere so I know I’ll have it wherever I work out and it allows me to make pretty graphs to analyze the data.
Consistency + Accountability
To reach your goal, you have to be both consistent and accountable! These two are often related.
Consistency requires you to show up everyday and have repeatable actions. You stay the course.
Accountability means you perform/execute what you said you were going to do. You are answerable and true to your word.
Consistency is hard for most people, especially once motivation has faded away. Once motivation is lost, consistency is boring– people don’t like to lift to the same workouts everyday, they don’t like eating the same foods every week, and they want to go home after a long day of work to relax instead of working out. That’s normal. So how do people maintain consistency in the long-term? There are many ways, but one of the most effective ways is increasing accountability by working with a partner or team.
If you share your goals with someone you are more likely to stick with it. For lack of a better description, it’s a form of healthy peer pressure. When you work with someone, or a group, your mind matches their pace and focus. You absorb their energy which in turn helps you stay on track. If you’re tired after work and want to bail on the workout, having a partner will force you to get to the gym and stay on track because they are providing that energy and extra boost you need.
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New Years is coming up and most people will be getting ready to start their resolution goals. Make sure to develop a game plan and stick to it. It’s a perfect time to start, but you have to stay on track in order to see the results. For help with your nutrition and/or training goals, reach out to Telos! We’d love to be a part of your journey.