New Year’s Resolution Solution

Happy New Year F.A.T readers! I wholeheartedly wish you joy, happiness and success in 2015. Now let’s get down to the business of your New Year’s resolutions – how’s that going? Getting fit and losing weight is a common NY resolution many of us choose because we ate our way through Waitrose over Christmas. We think it’s really time we looked like a Victoria’s Secret model/Ironman, we have a special event coming up this year and we want to look good in the photos which will last forever.

Let me stop you right there. Don’t set any New Year’s resolutions. What if I said that after reading this article you’ll only need to make one commitment to yourself for the rest of your life? One commitment that will give you an amazing body, a brilliant mental outlook and a healthy happy life. Read on to find out how…

Behind the Curtain

NY resolutions often fail because they are based on superficial goals. If you really want to achieve something look behind the curtain to the real reasons this goal is important to you. If your goal is precariously balanced on a superficial fear-based reason, it will not stand the test of time.

Any goal you set should have its roots in what you as a person stand for. For instance, deep seated reasons for gaining and maintaining health and fitness may be:

• You see your health and fitness as a foundation of the enjoyment of your life,
• You want to be mobile and able in your later years,
• You want to avoid injury, aches and pains,
• You want to set a good example for your children,
• You want to travel and explore the globe as part of your experience here.

 

Commit to Being your Best Self

Making a commitment to your health and fitness for life is just common sense.

Firstly, movement is a foundational principle of living – we are locomotive beings. If you want your body to look amazing you have to use it for what it’s made for.

Secondly, movement reduces the risk of degenerative changes, injuries, aches and pains which are not, as commonly assumed, an eventuality of getting older, they are a product of inactivity. Movement strengthens your bones, muscles and connective tissue, helps manage your metabolism and improves your mood.

And thirdly, a strong healthy vital body means you can enjoy life more such as planning a Fitness Adventure Travel trip without worrying whether you are fit enough to participate.

Make Time

This whole “I don’t have time” phrase is getting old. Martin Bjergegaard, author of Winning without Losing, has coined the term the New Dual Optimum and it’s about giving equal time and energy to both your professional and personal life. It is possible and many successful entrepreneurs attribute their success to maintaining balance.

There are 24 hours in each day. We sleep 8, we work 8 so there are an additional 8 to play with. This means that you can dedicate 1 hour per day (that’s only 4% of your entire day!), 5 days a week to increasing and then maintaining your health and fitness. Remember that you can exercise on the weekends and with friends and family too. Make time to exercise as part of your lifestyle.

Who to Recruit to Help?

It’s imperative that you find good teachers for movement. I often say it’s not so much about what you do – although there are some exceptions I would not recommend – it is really all about who you are learning from. Seek out a master. You want the time and energy you invest in someone to teach you movement to be beneficial and worthwhile. Look for an expert who can teach you the foundations of movement and adapt your training to your next challenge. A true master knows more than just movement!

What to do

If you live in London or a similar metropolitan city you’ll have a plethora of workouts choices to choose from. Not all are created equal though and you’ll definitely need a foundation to begin. In foundation training you’ll learn the basics of movement breathing, stability, alignment and the 7 basic functional movement patterns that serve all sports and activities. From there choose workouts that match the skills you’ll need for the sport you will be doing.

For example, in the F.A.T. yoga and surfing holiday in Nicaragua you’ll want to train balance, core stability, full body strength, swimming and flexibility. In practical terms I would recommend 1 yoga class a week, and 2 strength training sessions a week with a core and balance challenged focus, and 1-2 swimming sessions. If you find the right master, then you’ll get the right training!

Now Keep Going

Consistency is the number one rule for fitness and health. The body is highly adaptable – it will change when challenged and it will change when it’s not challenged. It won’t hold on to strength you are not using.

When you have reached your first goal, enjoyed your first F.A.T holiday, then find a new challenge based on your deep seated reasons. When you see your fitness as a series of mini goals like this you’ll find it easier to make fitness part of your lifestyle. You are less likely to burnout from going hard core for a single goal, instead develop a steady longer term fitness that will serve as a base throughout your life. You won’t be daunted to choose something that challenges you, so you’ll avoid boredom and your training will change according to the goal you set. You can set mini goals throughout the year and throughout your life – there are no restrictions to January.

Everything Else Follows

What you’ll find once you start moving and exercising properly with a teacher who motivates and inspires you is that all the other supporting systems will start to change too. You’ll want to eat better and get enough sleep to support your training, your work efficiency and energy will be higher, you’ll feel more motivated and happy. Your mental sharpness will improve, it will be easier to make decisions and you’ll find you have better emotional stability too.

Movement is the foundation of life. I recommend a great article on this called “The Making of A Corporate Athlete” by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz.

And the best part is, if you have these amazing life enriching experiences planned throughout your life you don’t even need to think about how to achieve that amazing body – you’ll already have it – And that’s how it’s done folks!

KT

Join KT on a Fitness Adventure Travel holiday to Vietnam this year – 26th September to 6th October, 2015
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