I wanted to share with my clients, friends and family my New Year resolutions for 2019. I do this in the hope that these may inspire or generate ideas for their own New Year resolutions.
As with any new start, we have a chance to reflect, be hopeful and put a plan in action towards a healthier and better future. The New Year is a blank canvass. It's a new defining opportunity to create for ourselves a future we would like. The New Year is a commitment to change.
Unfortunately for many people, New Year Resolutions simply end up being a set of wishes. There needs to be action involved. Alongside action there needs to be a plan. Patients and consistency are key.
A Personal Trainer's New Year Resolutions
Build More Muscle
Sorry for the Cliché, but like many other men and women, we want to build more muscle. It’s an opportunity to test our self-limits and to see tangible results for our hard work. It feels great to have a strong and healthy looking body.
There are many aspects to take into consideration, including having calories, having a balanced workout and getting enough rest, including sleep. For me, personally, I will seek to build more muscle by being much more focused on progressing my weights in the gym and by ensuring good form is used with every rep.
Techniques I will use to help me with this goal would be to record my weights in a note book to ensure that I am increasing my weights (and definitely not reducing the volume, or being stuck on the same for too long).
If I find I am stuck or plateauing I can address this, possibly by building more strength or looking at the small muscle groups which could do with extra support.
In regards to keeping good form, I will seek support from another personal trainer to see if any part of my technique can be improved. I could record my exercises, on my phones video camera, for my own review and consideration.
As with all goals, they often require an element of trial and error. Having support and regularly assessing your goal is key to staying on top of your aims and objectives.
Develop my Vegan Cooking Skills
I am a vegan personal trainer and have been vegan for over 2 years now. Being vegan is the best thing I have ever done, and I can feel more peaceful knowing that I am contributing as little as possible to the enslavement, torture and death of animals, and hugely reducing my eco footprint. I have also noticed some big health benefits such as having more energy than ever before.
As a relatively new vegan, I have been lucky to have such a passion for veganism that my knowledge has really grown in this area. At the same time, it would be great to improve my cooking ideas and build a bigger mental library of healthy meals that can be easily prepare, in a short time. I will do this by cooking a new meal using a vegan cook book every week.
One way I can police myself to stick to this goal, would be to take photos of my meals and to post them on social media. I can also share my new found vegan knowledge with my clients, feeling more confident in my knowledge and preparation of great vegan meals which will be attrative for everybody, whether Vegan or not.
Spend Less Time on my Phone
On Apple phones the useful ‘screen time’ is offered in the setting telling us exactly how much time we have spent online.
My screen time is ridiculous, so bad in fact that I would not want to share it here. Reducing my screen time can have some great benefits in my life, from improving my energy levels, spending more time on my other resolutions, and more quality time with family and friends. It would also make my screen time on social media, much more focused. By reducing social media time I believe I will feel happier as social media does seem to have a negative impact on my emotional well-being. I'm not sure exactly why this is, but i have been able to see a link.
Some ways I will reduce my screen time are by stopping scrolling on social media, by being more aware when I find myself doing this. I will also take off many notifications on my phone. I can also remove some apps such as bbc news which are also big time drainers. Keeping my phone in another room at times can also be an idea!
Keep A Journal
Keeping a journey can help me to visualise and focus my day. It can also take thoughts out of my head and onto paper. Once you start writing you’ll find a feeling of release. New ideas will flow. A journal can also help me to stay on track with my new year resolutions. I can use it to assess my progress in the gym, write up vegan cooking ideas or to consider how my reducing screen time is making me feel.
Keeping a journal does not need to be time consuming or anything too fancy. Even 5 minutes can bring about many benefits. There are no rules, Just write whatever comes into your mind. Enjoy it and don't take it too seriously.
Now Over To You
Hopefully this post has helped you to generate some great ideas for your own New Year resolutions. How will you support your journey towards a healthy and happier new year? What do you need to do? What support can you bring in?
Like with any goal, you can bring in support by an expert to help you on your journey. If you are looking for a Personal Trainer in the New Year, I will be by your side to help you to make these life changing actions. A personal trainer can hold you accountable, support you with knowledge and motivate you. Yes, even having an appointment with a personal trainer can even simply ensure you get yourself working out, as you wont be able to put it off!
As with any goal, you may encounter set backs but having someone there to support you back on your journey, can be the difference between giving up or pushing on.
Have a fantastic and healthy New Year in 2019. Let this be your year. It's all up to you!
