Slow start and small changes is best way to approach that healthy New Year’s resolutions!

Just for the Health of It

With Coach Shelley Gaudet

It is JANUARY… the time when everyone you know wants to make changes to their health, especially in the weight loss category.

Seeking to lose weight at this time of the year is great because although there is truly no perfect time, in January we tend to socialize less because it’s cold outside, we are still paying off our Christmas bills and there is just less going on!

There are a few problems I witness year after year with friends and family as they approach weight loss in the wrong way. They may put too much emphasis on the gym and not enough on their nutrition and although going to the gym is great for building strength and improving your cardiovascular endurance, it is not the best way to lose weight!

Or they adopt an all or nothing approach going from zero to hero with their workouts and nutrition at the same time, only to crash and burn in a few weeks because they can’t keep up with the 7 days a week at the gym or the restrictive diet.

Or they have unrealistic expectations of how long it will take them to lose the weight and give up too easily before the results come Or they put all of their expectations on the scale. The ignore the improved energy, better sleeps and looser fitting clothes and believe that their program isn’t producing “results” and either stop altogether or program hop too soon to try something new.

So what should you do? My best advice is to START SLOW and make SMALL CHANGES to your nutrition and exercise regime. If you were not going to the gym in December, start with 2 days a week ONLY and then work your way up to more. If you were eating anything and everything in December, start with prioritizing protein at every meal or adding more veggies to your day rather than restricting If you were drinking one litre of water a day in December instead of going right to 3, add half a litre each week until it becomes effortless to get it in and done. If you were only getting in 3000 steps a day in December, aim for 5000 a day and when that becomes easy add another thousand.

Small little changes will not only lead to big results BUT more importantly will lead to lasting changes and improved health. Do your 2025 self a favour and start slow and steady; don’t just focus on the scale as your only tool of progress and be PATIENT and KIND to yourself as this is a lifelong journey and not just a 6 week plan

Need more help? Follow me on Instagram at @gfsfitnesssolutions and/or my Facebook page Gaudet Fitness Solutions for daily tips and motivation!