Fit for Life: Are You One of “These” People?

Saturday, December 17, 2022

Matt Espeut, Health & Lifestyle Contributor

 

View Larger +

PHOTO: file

Do you get excited about making New Year’s Resolutions?

I am not making a New Year resolution. I can't.

I can't because I spend every day trying to self-improve. I have a goal to be successful. I also have my own opinion as to what success is, and I try to take a step every day to get there.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

By the time January rolls around, I already have a quarterly roadmap of my annual goals broken down into personal and professional categories, so I can have a plan to get where I want to go.

I put more pressure on myself, and I do things that constantly push me out of my comfort zone, because I know that once we get comfortable we get complacent and then we stop pushing ourselves and forward progress stops.

I have a rough idea of where I want to be, and I have no clue or control as to when it will be. I feel that by making daily or weekly goals, and accomplishing them will put us a day closer, and that's all you can control.

I know I won’t get better just making some simple bottomless promise that gets forgotten by February.

Getting better doesn't have a deadline, nor is it a destination or a goal you can accomplish, it's a mindset that goes on forever. Replace phrases like “I’m trying” with I'm doing my best, or “I can’t” with I'm going to attempt.

I consider a New Year resolution like a diet… temporary. It’s also an excuse for not taking action now and kicking the can down the road. It’s another form of procrastination that will hold you back from getting closer to your goals.

Think about it. When it’s Thanksgiving, and you start the “after the holidays,” I’ll start my mission, you are wasting months of potential progress for no apparent reason.

You can still start an exercise routine or start saving for the future in November, yet many people put on the brakes and avoid taking action because they feel like the holidays will interfere, and January will give them a fresh start.  

We need to make life changes to be successful at whatever it is we do, ALL THE TIME.

Make more money, lose weight, and be a better coach or parent. We need to be constantly changing and evolving in order to get better. We need to always try to learn from others by observing the things that were successful and the things that failed.

Making some loose promise, just because it’s the start of the New Year, is not only ridiculous but unlikely to happen. We need to strive and work harder to get better every day.

Yea, it’s fun to do, and I always encourage people to create goals and set out to accomplish them, but they have more meaning and are more likely to happen when you set them on random days without outside pressure, or jumping on some bandwagon because everyone is doing it.

I usually set some strict fitness goals around my birthday, and tell myself that I will be in the best shape of my life by the time my birthday actually arrives, and most years it becomes true, with the exception of a few injuries here and there.

This method has been working for the past 10 years because I learn more and fix mistakes I have made every day. Now at 54, I am healthier and leaner than when I was in my 30's.

Most of the time, people need the January first date to undo the downhill spiral they started at Thanksgiving.

That's all it is!!

 

We do so much damage from then ‘til now, we aren't making a “New Year" resolution, we are fixing the damage caused by the holidays. The nonstop eating, drinking, staying up late, and stress, sabotage everyone’s fitness accomplishments in just a few weeks!!

I actually challenge our Fit Body Boot Camp clients to a zero-pound challenge for that period of time, just to try and prevent my people from losing their current results, and limit the amount of damage. We encourage our members to stay more engaged with their fitness routines during this time of year, so they aren’t starting over in January.

The bottom line is if you want something bad enough, you shouldn’t wait. Start taking action now. We are in the middle of December, which means that you can get a 2 week jumpstart on your fitness goals. Don’t wait until January 1st to take control of your life, do it now.

Remember, it takes massive action every single to get better. There are no set times or dates that will help you improve any faster than today. Stop procrastinating and stop using the holidays as an excuse.

The only thing that will prevent you from accomplishing your goals is the action you DON’T take.

 

Committed to your success,

Matt

 

Related Articles

 

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

 
 

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

I want to follow on Twitter

I want to Like on Facebook