It’s a new year and millions of people the world over use this opportunity to start anew, at least with some facet of their life. Maybe the goal is to lose a few pounds, pick up a new hobby, or maybe even make some smarter financial decisions. Most would agree that all of these aforementioned lifestyle changes are all worthy undertakings, and I’m certainly no exception to this. As a personal trainer and coach for dozens of athletes, ranging in age and skill level, I see the value in prioritizing health and wellbeing more than most.
If the goal, however, is to lose weight, learn something, or eat better–just for the sake of itself, I think many may be missing the bigger picture. The type of physical performance training that we apply, plus the incremental improvements to diet and lifestyle that we advocate for in our athletes and clients are building blocks for each and every individual to create a more fulfilling life. In other words, we don’t diet and instill discipline in our clients because of its inherent value, but because diet, exercise, and health in its broader context is a fundamental key for self control and self actualization.
Its hard to travel to the places that you’ve seen on tv or have dreamt about seeing if your health is failing you, making vehicle or airline transportation nearly impossible.
Its hard to have the stamina to keep pace with your kids or grandkids and truly maximize the time that you have with them when you’ve completely ignored your health for a lifetime.
Its hard to see the sunrise if you haven’t developed the discipline or routine to get out of bed, or to go to bed earlier, for that matter.
But what’s even scarier is not building the confidence necessary to take control in situations where self reliance is a must. Being at the mercy of your environment is something that we try to minimize at all costs. Whether you consider yourself an athlete or not, building your autonomy through physical training and incremental improvements to your health and wellbeing are at the heart of self reliance. And self reliance has the power to enhance the quality of your life by expanding what is physically possible and what you are capable of.
So this year, when you think about cutting out soda, don’t think of it as cutting it out for the sake of some vague notion of health; think of these little positive changes as opportunities to expand your physical and mental boundaries.
Below, as well as, in some of the upcoming articles I’ll detail some ways to think about goal setting for the new year while diving into some of the deeper possibilities that fitness and optimal health may help you discover. These are just some thoughts, in no particular order, so don’t wait for Part 2 & 3 to start making better decisions for your health and autonomy.
10. Start with Small Habits
I’m a massive procrastinator and can be lazy when I don’t immediately see a causal relationship between my actions and my goals, I also like to think about big goals and big changes, which can be a toxic combination. But some of the biggest changes to my own habits and patterns have started with the smallest possible changes.
Enter the 2-Minute Rule
I’ve only read about this concept recently in the book ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear under the idea of the ‘2-Minute Rule’. Clear did a much better job of conveying this concept than I ever could and it makes big changes happen much easier, albeit with smaller steps than you might think to be productive.
Copied directly from Clear’s site the 2-Minute Rule states that:
The Two-Minute Rule states “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
When you take the 2-minute rule to heart, it really expands what is possible because bigger goals and habits are very easy to chip away at, when broken down to such a level.
Clear does a better job of conveying his own ideas than I can, or need to, so consider reading this excerpt from his book Atomic Habits on the “2-Minute Rule”.
How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the “2-Minute Rule”
9. Make Room for What You Want By Eliminating What You Don’t Need
Frankly, we are fortunate to live in a time of such abundance, but there is always a tradeoff. Unlimited access to tv shows or YouTube videos means time that could’ve been spent elsewhere. All of us have 24 hours in every day but how we prioritize our life within those 24 hours is what separates us. Some have more obligations each day than others, but every decision that you make can help get you closer to your goals.
Similarly, focus and attention, when split, can detract from your ability to achieve your goals.
Are your habits leading you to the life that you want?
Do the purchases that you make adhere to your priorities?
What would happen if you took away half of your screen time and used that time to further your hobby, passion, or craft?
So much of the world around us has been engineered to rob us of our attention, and it does feel nice–TV shows are better than ever, tech products are more engaging, and our economy has been situated to make us feel warm and happy without much effort or input.
Get on the path that you want by spending your time, money, and attention on the things that contribute to a more fulfilled self.
8. Don’t Let Your Physical Fitness Limit You
Even if you’re not entirely sure what you want to do or where you want to end up, being more fit will almost certainly get you there quicker. Personally, I build my own workout protocols around some very basic strength and conditioning principles. There are a few events that I compete in annually, but by keeping my training so broad, and while still pursuing my training rather aggressively, I am never more than 6 months away from being in the top 10% of nearly any sport.
Even when my training was hyper-specific to my native sports of swimming and then powerlifting, my physical fitness never became the limiting factor for things that I might have wanted to pursue outside of a sport-specific context.
For example, I could go on a snorkeling excursion on a vacation and not have to worry about drowning. I may attempt to summit the highest point in Utah, with little notice, after realizing that I happen to be camping within 15 miles of it. Or I could see an article about the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 and hunt it without worrying that I wouldn’t be strong enough to carry my supplies in, or a heavy load out.
Next Time…
I originally intended this to be a 1-part, 3-point article, but there’s just too much information that needs to be said on this very topic. In some ways the New Year is a total fabrication–just one more day after another but the New Year can also serve as a great opportunity to reset and move yourself in the direction that you want.
If this New Year means a new opportunity to build up your physical fitness, then an online or in-person training program with us might be a good place to start. Just drop a line on the contact page and I’ll see how I can help.
If you want updates on parts 2 and 3 of this series, be sure to subscribe to our mailing list by subscribing in the box below.