From my dealings over the past 10 years in the fitness industry, I have learned one very valuable conclusion. Those who write down their fitness, nutrition, and/or health goals tend to accomplish those goals versus those who don't. If I had to put a percentage on it, I would say 95% accomplish the goal, versus about 15% of those who don't write down their goals. Think about how different that is....
So it's a new year, why not give it a try. You have nothing to lose (except your body size of course)
WRITE DOWN YOUR FITNESS ACTIVITY
This doesn't need to be an essay, it can be as easy as adding a check mark to the days you workout. Or you can be a little specific and write down how many minutes on the treadmill, bike, free weights, etc. Be even more specific and write down your average heart rate, calories burned, exercises performed with weight, etc. Regardless of how specific this becomes, start easy. For instance today I did 10 minutes on the treadmill, 5 minutes on the bike. That's it. Record it for the day in a journal book, free phone app, or on the computer. Do this for a month or so and see where your numbers are. Then, you can develop a plan for whatever goals you have for yourself. For instance, if you had to tell me how much you worked out over the past 3 months, you might say "probably 3-4 times per week." Who can remember every exercise day over the last 90 days???? BUT, if you kept a journal (even just a check mark for days you worked out), you would know that exact number which might surprise you.
WRITE DOWN YOUR DAILY FOOD INTAKE
With the new age of app friendly phones, this has become such an easy task that no one can say they can't do it. Personally, I use MyFitnessPal (www.myfitnesspal.com). You can look up most foods (whether at a restaurant or cooking at home), and it keeps track of everything you enter. So if you eat that same item again, it's already saved on your account-all you have to do is add it to the individual days. The process of completing a full day of food usually takes me less than 10 minutes. And it works! I found that (even though I feel I eat pretty healthy) I am taking in 3 times the amount of daily sodium. I had no idea! And if I didn't write it down, I would have kept thinking that I eat pretty healthy and don't need to change anything. Use whatever program you would like, but just do it. What if this one step meant you found out that you were eating too much sodium, too much cholesterol, something that if you didn't change could have fatal effects. Isn't it worth the extra 10 minutes?
So, as 2013 becomes, I'm excited at the thought of not only helping all my members here at Solera Health Club & Spa (downtown St. Louis, near Soulard), but I would also love to help anyone else that would like that extra push. Our nation is becoming more health conscience, but still need have a long way to go. Break the cycle TODAY, start living healthier, and let's set the example for everyone around us. ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE!
For more info, feel free to check out my website, www.solerahealthclub.com.
Cheers!
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| John Burr |
