We all love to give it the big one in January with our New Years resolutions but very few people actually see them through to achieve their goals. What can we do to ensure we really do what we said we were going to do? Here are my top 7 tips to being a do-er and turning your words into action this year.
Plan – as boring and cliché as it sounds “planning” really does work. It’s basic stuff but essential especially for the busy person. Start by planning your breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Create a shopping list based on your meal planner and get shopping. With a cupboard fully stocked with good nutrition you are already winning. The next thing you need to do is plan is your workouts for the week ahead. Schedule them into your week like a business meeting. Take these appointments serious and when you do turn up train like a boss!
Prep – To burn fat or build lean muscle you need to be consistent with your nutrition and macronutrients. Take control by prepping like a boss. Spending two hours in the kitchen on a Sunday night prepping your meals for the week ahead is the single most effective way to guarantee progress in your fat loss goals. Batch cook and store some meals in the fridge or freezer so you can avoid the dreaded “sandwich meals deals” at lunch and the processed ready meals on your way home from work. This really is the only way to take control of your nutrition. It’s a pain in the ass at first but you’ll get quicker and it will soon become an easy habit to keep up.
Reboot – I don’t believe in detoxes or crash diets at any time of the year. They’re unenjoyable and unsustainable so there really is no point in even starting them. I’m all about real food and lots of it to fuel your body. To give your body a reboot try having a fresh juice a day along with your breakfast. This is the perfect way to load up on essential vitamins and minerals especially for people who don’t enjoy eating their greens. Try “post workout refuel” juice recipe – a handful of spinach, half a cucumber, a handful of kale, one red apple and one scoop of whey protein. Great to replenish your muscles after a tough workout.
Track – I’m not a big fan of scales as a measure of success. Scales don’t measure body composition or improved fitness and can be very demotivating if the numbers don’t move in the direction you want. The best motivational tool available is progress pics. Take photos of yourself at the start and end of each month. The images will show real progress and really motivate you to push harder each month as your body composition starts to visually change. If you’re more of a stats man then take body circumference measurements each month to track progress even more. Focus on waist, chest, arms and thigh measurements and keep them on record to see where the fat is melting off.
Partner up – Find yourself a training partner or join a new boot camp or fitness class. Even if you only do one or two sessions a week together you are far more likely to adhere to a routine and turn up. Go head to head in fitness challenges or up your game during sets to really push each other on. The extra 10% effort in each session that you put in will make a huge difference over the course of a few months. If all else fails and you prefer training alone then invest in a heart rate or GPS watch to go against the virtual partner (aka yourself).
Reward – The mistake many people make with New Years resolutions is they completely cut out all the things they love, such as drinking, eating-out and partying. It’s essential for long term success that you find a good balance between the good stuff and the bad stuff. If you work your ass off all week in the gym then you should reward yourself somehow. This doesn’t have to be an almighty 48hour blow out, but a meal out, a cinema trip with some ice cream or even some new clothes is a good way of keeping yourself on track.
Progress – To build lean muscle or burn fat you must apply the principle of progression to your training sessions. Turning up without a plan and just going through the motions is not going to get you where you want to be. You need to train to win and progress in every single session. This could be by lifting just 0.5kg more on the bench press, banging out 1 more rep on an exercise or performing one more sprint in your HIIT cardio session. It’s all these small gradual increases in intensity and volume which will be the difference between staying the same and seeing real lean gains over a few months. Keep a training log of all your sets, reps and sessions each week and aim to improve week on week. Quicker results means you will be more motivated to keep training and make your New Years resolution a reality.
Joe Wicks is supporting Philips’ #RealJuiceReboot campaign this month, encouraging people to enjoy one freshly made fruit and vegetable juice for 21 days as part of a healthy balanced diet rather than detoxing . Check out Joe’s juicing recipes on Facebook and Instagram and join in the conversation online using #RealJuiceReboot.
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