Over the past year, one of the most popular phrases I’ve heard is: “I have on my list to get back into shape! I need to start working out with you guys.” While this is an exciting comment to hear, time and time again those who use these words seldom show up in the gym to “walk the talk.” So why is it so hard for many of us to take ACTION on what we know we want? How do we take a “dream” of becoming healthy and make it a reality?
5 ways to follow-through and make health a priority in 2019:
- Understand your WHY: If your desire to be healthy is based on trying to please others or meet a standard you feel is needed for your gender/age/role, then this is likely why you have NOT been successful in the past. Being healthy must be for yourself. It must be for a deeper purpose than a societal image or box you think you must fit. The first step in truly triggering you to take the steps needed to be a healthier person is understanding at a deep level your personal WHY.
For some, their why is connected to a role they play in life…such as mother, father, son, daughter, husband, wife. When one is healthy, you are enabling your future with those you love to be more rich and fulfilling. For others, your why may be to personally feel and perform better at work and at home. Brain scientist Richard Restak shares how physical exercise can actually change the physical structure of your brain…allowing you the ability to move blood, oxygen and glucose to your brain faster making you more mentally sharp and energized.
Whatever your reason is…think on it. Reflect and capture down in one sentence or less WHY it really matters to YOU to become a healthier person this next year.
- Be a creator, not a survivor: People can often be lumped into one of these two categories…a creator or a survivor. Survivors are constantly preparing for the worst case scenario…what could happen, or what if’s. Survivors worry a lot, have low expectations and take the victim mindset about those scenarios dealt them in life.
Creator dream big! They believe that the universe is on their side and set their intention on what they want…and then figure out the how to get there. There is no question that a creator will reach their goals, and as a matter of fact, creators often find those life miracles along the way they couldn’t have ever planned for. Creators take life into their own hands and let the purpose of their intention drive them to make it happen…whatever it takes.
If you want to transform your life…you MUST squash those survivor tendencies and decide to be the creator of your life. YOU create your future and it is up to the choices you make to prioritize health and happiness in the new year.
- Find your Fun: Working out should NOT be a punishment. If you haven’t worked out in a while, then no doubt stepping into a gym you may feel out of your comfort zone. However…this will change soon enough with the right place. Working out and a gym should be a place for FUN. A place where you leave it all on the floor, push yourself beyond your limits and feel absolutely GREAT afterwards. Consistency in working out comes when we enjoy what we do and who we do it with.
4. Have accountability: Greatness doesn’t happen in isolation. When we make that goal to move from our mediocre life to a great, health and happy life, we need a support group there to hold us accountable. This could be a coach, a friend, your spouse or someone you just met at the gym and clicked with. Find those people who will know if you are there or not, and care enough to reach out and see how you are doing. Accountability is not something that should scare us or make us feel guilty, it should help us and remind us that we are loved so much that someone else cares about our success.
- Set Short-term goals: When someone asks you what your health goals are…do you think about next month or a year from now? Often times we set goals that may not be obtainable in the timeframe we give ourselves, causing us to “throw in the hat” the moment we start to plateau on our journey. It is imperative that we set bite-size goals to meet along the way. If you have the goal to lose 50 lbs in a year, great. Let’s put that in our back pocket and let’s focus one month at a time. What is reasonable based on your level of commitment for the next 30 – 90 days? Without milestones along the way to celebrate, it is easy to give up right as we are making the progress needed to get where we ultimately want to be.
These five ways to make health a priority can be applied in many different ways depending on who you are. If you are looking for a structured format to apply these five principles and set yourself up for a powerful 2019, then join our “Made 4 More” health challenge kicking off January 5th in Indianapolis. There will be three prizes, enrichment experiences for participants and awards given on March 9th for progress. Email bmfouard@gmail.com to learn more or sign up.
M4G CrossFit 