Fitness by Personal Trainer Matt Roberts www.mattroberts.co.uk
Love them or hate them, there’s a good chance that at this time of year someone, somewhere is going to ask you what your New Year’s resolutions are going to be. I personally don’t have strong views on whether people should or shouldn’t make resolutions; you could argue it’s a good a time as any to commit to some positive changes in your life. While at the same time I can understand where the naysayers are coming from as most resolutions, especially those of the get fit and lose weight variety, rarely make it past the first quarter before a busy schedule and “life” commitments start to take priority again.
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STRONG &
CONFIDENT = THIS YEAR’S MUSTHAVE BODY GOALS
In today’s social media driven culture, there is an over-emphasis on physical perfection as the key to happiness and success. Given the ubiquitous nature of these kinds of messages, it can be difficult to forge an alternative mindset which focuses on the importance of physical, mental and emotional health as a means to achieving contentment...
www.health-magazine.co.uk
This distinction between outcomes and behaviours is vitally important when it comes to our resolutions as change, on any level, will ultimately come down to whether we can act and behave differently from the current status quo. There are lots of great strategies that can help us with behaviour change. Perhaps the most important part of change however, is the mindset we take into it. The attitude and beliefs we have underpinning our motivation to change will often be the deciding factor in whether we can act differently when we need to. To help with this I believe we can learn an important lesson from some ancient Stoic philosophy.
The single most important practise in Stoic philosophy is differentiating The danger here is that people between what we can change and then give up completely under the what we can’t i.e. our thoughts and belief that the “best” time to change behaviours vs everything else. If we anything has passed them by - until do our best to practice this mindset next year. when we take on our resolutions (or anything in life for that “If we see our The truth is, there matter) it can be a very is no “best” time to consistency as powerful tool in helping us make resolutions. see them through. Agreed, January the success rather 1st offers a nice than any outcome, To use weight loss as line in the sand example, we have we are more likely an but don’t let that very little control over the be your downfall to stay on track for biochemistry of our bodies if it doesn’t work and we all differ in the the long term” out. Every moment pace at which our bodies presents a new opportunity to will respond to common weight loss make a change and to choose to practices. We therefore have very do things differently. Now is always little control on the outcome in this and always will be the best time to situation but we do have control make a resolution, so if things don’t over our thoughts and behaviours go to plan the first time don’t wait while we pursue such an aim. If we for next year, choose Now instead. focus on consistently performing the behaviours that are more likely With all that said, there are a few to lead to weight loss i.e. eating things to consider when you decide a diet of appropriate amounts of that today is the day things need to whole foods, exercising regularly change. and allowing our bodies to rest and recover, we bring the control factor For example, most resolutions fail back in our favour. If we see our because they are often based on consistency as the success rather an imagined future self that lives than any outcome, we are more in a world where we magically likely to stay on track for the long have fewer commitments, more term and tackle any setbacks with a motivation, less stress and more more rational frame of mind. time. In that world realising our goals is easy. In the real world it Think about your goals and doesn’t quite work like that. Part of aspirations for 2018, then think the problem is that we tend to focus about what things are under too much on outcomes such as “I your control to make them more want to lose 5kgs”, and we rarely likely to happen. Do these things back up these aspirations with a consistently, and whether you concrete plan of action i.e. what achieve the goal or not, you will are the behaviours we need to do have all the success you need in consistently to lose 5kgs? the journey.
Health Magazine January 2018
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