January's obligatory diet and exercise post (recycled!).

Here’s one of my favourite blog posts I wrote for a friend of mine who is also a personal trainer. I wrote this exactly 3 years ago, but it still rings true today:

“Enter a new year and you’ll find all sorts of tips and tricks on how to start a workout programme or what diet will shed those holiday pounds the fastest.

The trick is to stay motivated all year round rather than give yourself the monumental task of starting, and sticking with, a new or extreme workout routine in the New Year. That way, when you do indulge a bit, it takes less effort to get back on track. Yet developing healthy habits can seem daunting – just like building muscle, it takes time, but the more you flex it, the stronger it becomes. The hardest exercise programme to embark on is one of self-control. No one else can do it for you.

A favourite quote of mine is ‘you can’t be disappointed in the results you didn’t get for the work you didn’t do’. Ouch.

But, like many, if you have added a few unwanted pounds this winter, your best bet is to set yourself small, attainable goals to get back into shape.

First and foremost, this will take the pressure off of yourself by not feeling like a failure when you stray off course, or on days when you feel like you didn’t smash your workout. Every day is going to be different, some will seem easy and some will seem impossible.

Half the battle is changing the voice in your head to be supportive and positive, instead of critical or negative. As hokey as it may sound, having a positive mental attitude is the key to staying on track.

When you set your goals, visualise what they will look like in 3 weeks, 3 months, or next year and how you’ll feel after achieving them. Plan to reward yourself with something you really want when you attain each milestone.

Negative thoughts are easy to foster and can become bad habits. But by discipling yourself and exercising self-control, you can turn your positive thoughts into your goals which will also become habits. Take your larger goals and break them into weekly targets. Write your goals down, or even put them on Twitter or Instagram, you might feel more committed to them once they’re in print.

The biggest challenge with maintaining a workout regime or generally healthy lifestyle is discipline. While staying motivated is key, discipline will get you to the gym every day. Coming up with excuses to not workout or eat healthy is easy. Whilst jumping your obstacles and achieving your goals is much harder, it’s also much more rewarding. No matter how much my clients resist, I have them measure themselves or take ‘before’ shots when they start a programme. It’s easy to forget how far you’ve come and sometimes when you lose sight of the end goal, checking one’s measurements via photographic updates or ‘the jeans test’ can be hugely inspirational.

Theodore Roosevelt said 'nothing worth doing well comes easy’. And I think that’s true. What this saying means to me is the harder you work for something, the more rewarding the result will be. And you know you’ve truly earned it. So today, have that one small positive thought, not only could it change your whole day, it could change your whole you.”

#discipline #exerciseselfcontrol #workout #positivethinking #PMA #NewYear #tipsandtricks