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Your New Year Fitness Road Map: 5 Principles to Add Purpose to Your Goals

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Nik Herold and Brian Nguyen, owners of BRIK fitness have tips to make your goals stick this year.

 

 

We have mad respect for BRIK Fitness. And today, for New Year New Rear Week, we are wicked pumped that owners Nik Herold and Brian Nguyen are sharing some tips from their chapter in the new book Results Fitness. And not just any tips—these guys are sharing how to not only make your goals for the New Year stick, but also how to really, truly get and stay motivated for them. Love their mind-body approach on this!

5 Principles to Add Purpose to Your Goals in the New Year

It’s a timeworn scenario. New Year’s Day dawns with the idea that, finally, THIS is the year you will work out every day, cut fat, sugar and junk food from your diet, and finally lose those 10, 20 or even 50 pounds you’ve got hugging your middle. Sure, you’ve got enthusiasm and a general goal in mind—to “get fit”—but what you lack is direction. All the enthusiasm in the world can’t make up for the lack of a solid plan and a purposeful mindset. You need a Fitness Road Map to stay motivated and keep those temptations and pressures of life from derailing your resolve!

If it’s not the program that is at fault, what is the issue? It’s MINDSET. The psychology behind successful training rests on five essential principles…

Principle #1: Know what makes you tick. When you feel like quitting, remember those emotions. Recall the helpless feeling when you couldn’t make it up the stairs without wheezing. When you don’t feel like working out, remember what it feels like to be at the beach, feeling embarrassed in your bathing suit. These emotions are going to pick you up and keep you moving toward your goals. Use this to keep you going. Write it on your bathroom mirror, on your refrigerator and at your computer. Keep it top-of-mind.

Principle #2: Define the destination. As important as emotions are to drive you, knowing where you are driving is equally important. Remember your January 1 self? “I’m going to get in great shape this year! I don’t know exactly what that means, but I know I’m going to do it!” After 30 days straight at the gym, you’re burnt out. Why? You’ve got nothing with which to gauge your progress. Unguided emotions cause you to float through your fitness journey with no end in sight.

Decide on a clear objective. Then, figure out how you will know you’re on the right path. If one of your goals was to walk up the stairs without gasping for air, time yourself on a set of stairs at the beginning of your journey. Every two weeks, time yourself on those same stairs. Look for those “road markers” of progress to make sure you’re on the right path … and not going in circles, frustrated that you’re never reaching those goals.

Principle #3: Take the easy road. You can just as easily stock your fridge with healthy fruits and vegetables instead of those cookies. It makes the road much easier to follow. Hiring a coach will significantly ease the path. Your coach is going to keep you accountable, on track and will help you measure your progress—regardless of how crazy your day is.

Principle #4: Focus on one change at a time. Change is tough. Research has shown that trying to make too many changes at one time ultimately leads to low success rates. When you focus on one change, you’re likely to have an 85 percent success rate, try two changes and your chances drop to 35 percent, add a third and the odds drop to less than 10 percent! Multitasking changes leads to quitting.

Break things down so the project is not so daunting. Improve one thing at a time. If you made one change per week, you’d have improved 52 things in a year! Those small changes add up to big results.

Principle #5: Celebrate the small things. Just like you’ve got to focus on one change at a time, you also need to celebrate those small changes. Document your success and celebrate it by marking them down and rewarding yourself. The more you believe in yourself, the better you’ll get. You’re reinforcing your own positive behavior.

How are you adding purpose to your goals in the New Year? How many of these principles are you following? Which ones can you add? Do tell! —Jenn 

 

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