New Year New You, but really this time
Recovery is the base of any well curated wellness program. Then one must have the flexibility to get into positions to workout. After the prerequisite flexibility one must own those movements, aka mobility. From there we can add load to the movements, strength balance. Being balanced front to back and left to right. Then we can add speed and agility to the movements, skill and motor control.
A new year can be a great time for new beginnings. Setting goals can be a great way to get things done. But, far too often people want to start too big, too soon. Complete overhauls leave us feeling overwhelmed, and when we “fail” we find ourselves discouraged and defeated. Far too often we focus on metrics that are out of our control. My advice this year is to start small and focus on effort over outcome.
Another approach I would recommend is instead of focusing on new things to do, focus on cleaning up things you already do. The foundation of any human’s needs starts with recovery (stress, diet, and sleep). Without proper management of these elements any fitness program will not see optimal gains and may even result in injury. Also, the realization that simple does not mean easy. I can say get 8 hours of sleep, eat your weight in grams of protein, drink 64 oz of water, avoid sugar, prioritize fiber rich food, and find a practice to manage stress. Sounds simple right? Yes, but if this is new to you implementation will not be easy. Here in lies the starting small. If you aren’t doing any of these things start by picking one.
For example if optimizing sleep seems like the best place to start then start there. Let’s say right now you only sleep six hours. How can you increase that to 8? Is it cut out some screen time at night? Start with turning off the TV or phone just 15 minutes earlier, then when you’re successful with that increase it by another 15 and so on. If you are not successful with 15 my advice would be try 10 minutes. Do not become discouraged when new habits are challenging, instead have self compassion and realize new habits can be challenging.
Let’s try the 64 oz of water. If you struggle to drink any water at all now think of ways to set yourself up for success. Buy a cool new water bottle and fill it up first thing in the morning, try to keep it with you at all times. This one has so many benefits. The first one is obvious, a more hydrated you is a better performing you. Then there’s the not so obvious, drinking more water will help you consume less sugary beverages, therefore decreasing the amount of calories you consume in the day. It can also provide satiety benefits meaning you may reach for the water instead of a snack. Find regular water boring? Try a calorie free flavoring packet or electrolyte packet. If your exercise routine is not rigorous consider an electrolyte packet with 500 mg of sodium or less.
Remember new habits can be challenging to form, but it is possible with equal parts of self discipline and self compassion. Start small and chip away little by little. If you don’t hit the mark one day all is not lost. Pick up where you left off the next day and you may even need to bite off a little less. Consistency compounds.