What I Wish Clients Understood About Starting January Strong
January is that time of year that feels like a fresh start. It feels like a year of opportunity to be better lays ahead of us. So why do so many of us get it wrong?
We go all in. We think to ourselves, “I’m going to work out every day! I’ll go in, lift for an hour, do 30 minutes of cardio after, stretch for a while, maybe even sit in the sauna for ten minutes, and then shower and be on my way.” Y’all, that’s like three hours every day. Who has that kind of time? Not me. Not any of my clients.
As a personal trainer, I wish more people knew that starting the year strong doesn’t mean going all out, doing as much as possible. It means choosing workouts that you can stick with, fueling your body consistently, and building habits that stick- even when life gets busy. (In fact, I think the BEST time to start a new habit is when life gets busy, because then you know it’s attainable and doable, no matter what.) Little habits and sustainable progress beat January intensity every time.
One way to start January strong (or anytime, really) is to add more snacks to your day. I’m not talking about food- though, if you need a snack, I’m always down for a little nutritious nibble- I’m talking about exercise snacks or mindful moments. How many of us have ever said “I wish I had more time for exercise/yoga/stretching/a breathwork practice/a gratitude practice/drinking more water/etc?” I know I have. Here's a quick and easy way to add these habits into your life: Habit stacking.
Habit stacking is where you take something you already do on autopilot, and then add a healthy habit to it. A recent habit stack I’ve done is tuck my little one into bed, go downstairs to watch some tv, (which I’ve always done) and now I put on my red-light mask which supposedly will help my skin be healthier. (I’ll keep ya posted.)
But an example of a day’s worth of exercise snacks/habit stacks could be something like this:
|
Trigger/Habit Stack |
Exercise Snack |
|
Get out of bed |
2-minute stretch |
|
Mid-morning break |
3 Rounds of 10 squats, 10 pushups and a 30 second plank |
|
Lunch |
5-10 minute walk |
|
Mid-afternoon break |
3 minutes of deep breathing/gratitude practice |
|
Making dinner |
Impromptu dance party in your kitchen |
|
Get into bed |
Progressive relaxation |
Think about how good your body might feel if you added this routine in, even twice a week. I encourage you to take a look at your lifestyle and see where you can add in a few exercise snacks, mindful moments, or nutritious nibbles.
Need help game planning this? I got you! Book a free 30 minute consult with me and we can figure out how to add this into your life in the most effective way possible.
