Kris Gethin is your author for this article, he’s also a nutrition consultant, trainer and author of his book >Man of Iron.
The New Year is traditionally the time for fitness goals. But you don’t have to succumb to your worst instincts and give in to every temptation that comes your way as we approach the end of 2019 and beginning of the next year. You can still have a great time with family and friends, but you need to balance that with healthy instincts and activities that allow you to face the next year in better shape than you typically do.
Urgency Through Deadlines
Urgency allows you to create the best results when it comes to transforming your body composition. Short deadlines remove the luxury of saying things such as, “I’ll start tomorrow,” or, “This one slice of cake won’t cause much damage.” With a short deadline looming, every detail matters. Without urgency you have the freedom to keep moving the finish line, which inevitably leads to a never-ending cycle of complacency. With that said, my challenge for you is to set a goal for yourself that you’ll complete by the end of this month. For example, this could be to drop 10 pounds of body fat or reduce your level of body fat by 3 percent—say from 15 percent to 12 percent. Note that that’s actually a 20 percent reduction in the amount of fat you hold in storage, but I’m speaking in terms of the amount of body fat you hold in terms of overall weight.
Micro Goals
Create micro-goals between now and that date, so that you have check-ins along the way. It’s very easy to think you have time before the date of your final goal arrives, and you’ll put in more effort tomorrow… or the day after. But this typically causes you to fail in achieving your goal. Instead, you should create small weekly goals that accumulate and bring you to the final outcome. Immediately, this forces you to address daily accountability because you always have a new micro-goal around the corner that you need to achieve. If you fail for one week’s micro-goal, then you know that you need to double down on the upcoming micro-goal to make up for falling short.
Analyze Your Schedule
Take a close look at your plans for the next quarter. This includes business trips, family holidays, and social events such as birthdays or weddings. Write all of these on a calendar and put together a plan for how you’ll handle these events. Also keep in mind unexpected social situations and dinners that are likely to come up. Consider the dieting strategies that will work best for you during your travel and events. Also think about where you will train and how you’ll get in your cardio. Keep in mind that when your routine changes that means failure is far more likely, so it is crucial to plan ahead. For example, if carrying a lot of meals will be an issue over one weekend, then you can use controlled fasting so you don’t need to carry as much food. There’s always a solution available if you’re willing to implement it.
Make it social media official
Social media has many negatives, but it also provides benefits and opportunities.
You can use your favorite social media platforms to hold yourself accountable. Announce your goal to all of your followers, and keep updating your progress. No one wants to look stupid – or fail – in front of friends and family. Making a public statement of intent about your goal is the ultimate way to hold yourself accountable. Just imagine how embarrassed you’ll be when you have to explain to all of your loved ones that you didn’t have the discipline to follow through. On the other hand, imagine the great sense of achievement you’ll experience if you do crush your goal.
Pay For An Event Now
Financial accountability is a big thing for a lot of people. Book an event now for a few months’ time – this could be a photo shoot or something more relaxing like a spa break where you will be revealing your flesh. This should serve as a great incentive to want to feel confident for this date, rather than being out of shape and riddled with regret that you made excuses.
Be Accountable
People are often very easy on themselves when it comes to goals. It’s really easy to move the goal posts to justify getting halfway to your goal. The brutal truth is that you either succeed or fail; there is no in-between. Don’t succumb to talking yourself into believing that taking steps in the right direction is success. Remember that you set a goal, and strive wholeheartedly to achieve it. Don’t allow yourself the comfort of saying things to yourself such as, “I’ve worked hard all week, and I deserve this treat,” or, “I’m tired today, and I’ve earned a day off from the gym.” Understand that these are just weak excuses, and you must adjust your language even when you’re talking to yourself. Learn to catch yourself when you start self-sabotaging. Take corrective action and force yourself to do the right thing.
Gain perspective
The power of perspective should never be underestimated! Remember someone else is dealing with much more challenging circumstances, and they’re still managing to smash their goals – don’t let yourself forget this. During my time living in India, I became very aware of a world that most Westerners don’t fully understand. With so much poverty, you would be amazed to see the lengths some are willing to go to in order to achieve amazing results. Some of the people I met would commute hours each day, sometimes by foot, in order to train with weights. These people made extraordinary sacrifices to achieve their goals.
Life can be difficult for all of us, and we each go through challenging situations. But try to catch yourself justifying inaction. Stop and consider those who are less fortunate. What about the people with terminal illness who would love the opportunity to suffer the pain you’re running away from in the gym today?
