New Year. New You
By Coach Kate Stone
It is hard to believe that we are at the beginning of another new year. For a lot of us, that means setting a New Year’s resolution. Often, these resolutions revolve around weight loss or exercise… “I’m going to lose 10 pounds by February,” “I’m going to go to the gym every day,” “I’m not going to eat any sugar,” and so on and so on. Basically, the idea of a new year, a new you. While I completely support goals related to better eating and exercise habits, maybe this year, we try something different. I would like to challenge each one of you to set a goal or resolution that isn’t related to only changing your body physically. Wait. What? You coach at a gym, shouldn’t you be focused on losing weight, eating right, getting stronger? Maybe, but we at EverProven also want you to live better lives overall. We want you to have the best quality of life outside of the gym. Because, in the end, that’s what really matters. For those of you hoping this was a post about weight loss and getting more fit, I’ll sum it up real quick for you. For diet: if you eat like shit, you will feel like shit. For fitness: show up to class, listen to the coach, and give each workout your best effort. There are no shortcuts or quick fixes. Ok? Moving on. So what kind of goals or resolutions am I talking about instead? I’ll give you some examples.
*Social Media and E-mail Detox. Before you panic, I don’t mean completely cutting yourself off from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, etc. I am suggesting that when you are spending time with family and friends — whether it be out to dinner, working out, getting coffee, driving somewhere in the car – you GET OFF YOUR PHONE and be present. It is amazing how much you can connect with someone by giving them your full and undivided attention. Try it, you may find it can help improve your relationships with those people you care about.
*Work on your relationship with food. Now this is easier said than done as it requires a change in mind set (something I am personally working on too). This may not apply to everyone. What I would like to encourage you to do is work on seeing food as fuel versus something you have to earn or a reward for something you did… “I did Fran today, I earned that cupcake” or “I ate that pizza from La Festa so I have to row a 5k to burn it off.” You should never punish yourself for something you ate. Instead, think of food as energy to crush that next metcon, fuel for your next back squat PR, or recovery nutrients for your muscle soreness. If you start changing how you view your food, you may find that you make better choices overall to perform better in the gym.
*Try something new and get out of your comfort zone. It’s time to put all that fitness to use. This year I encourage you to try a new sport, new skill, new activity. You work so hard at the gym improving your strength, endurance, coordination, agility, etc., why not try something different with it? Maybe you go ice skating, try a class at a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy, scale a wall at an indoor rock climbing gym, sign up for a 5k/10k/half marathon. Whatever it is, have it be something that makes you feel a little bit nervous. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. You’re stronger than you think. You can do it.
*Be kind to yourself through positive affirmations. The word “affirmation” comes from affirmare, the Latin word defined as “to make steady, strengthen.” Affirmations have been shown to be helpful with self-improvement as they help to rewire our brains to believe in our potential. It’s as simple as the difference between constantly saying “I can” versus constantly saying “I can’t.” Here are a few examples of positive affirmations that you could say to yourself each day:
– “I possess the qualities I need to be successful.”
– “I am courageous, and I stand up for myself.”
– “I am a powerhouse. I am indestructible.”
– “I acknowledge my own self-worth.”*
Like I mentioned, these are not your typical New Year’s Resolutions; however, I encourage you to try at least one. You may find that by adopting some of these, the typical goals you would have set (eat healthier, exercise more, lose weight) just fall into place and happen on their own. Let me know how it goes. Best wishes for your best year yet.
*Source: “35 Affirmations That Will Change Your Life” by Dr. Carmen Harra at https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-carmen-harra/affirmations_b_3527028.html