New Year, New You - Bootcamps, Diets and Goal Setting
It’s here, it’s that time of the year where people are most likely making promises to themselves to become fitter, healthier, and happier. It’s a time to get excited if you are looking to make change. and looking at diet and goal setting However, it’s a very frustrating time of the year for people like me, for people who are passionate about helping people make real change.
The biggest frustration I face is the commercial giants pushing “fads”, “results” and the “quick fix” you have been looking for. This is the reason why over 90% of healthy new year resolutions never see springtime. They don’t work!
Let this blog give you an innocent and positive insight from a successful personal trainer on how to make this year the year you don’t procrastinate and finally do it right.
Diets
This is the biggest reason as to why people fail. They impulsively jump on the best marketed product they see at the time and expect results to come tomorrow. If I can give my first bit of advice, you must respect the process of being healthy, especially if it’s a change you are really wanting to make.
Products and diets will not get you results long term, they never have and never will. The only real way you are going to make positive and successful change is to educate yourself on the basics of nutrition and how to create your own nutrition plans that work for you.
There is no better tool than respecting the process; you must educate yourself and not put your health in companies or products that promise results without providing anything of substance.
Here are the steps you must implement to take control of your health in terms of dieting:
- Step 1 – Establish your goal. Are you looking to lose weight fat or build muscle? You can’t do both. Even though it is popular for bootcamps and fitness programs to tell you that, they are selling you a lie. If you are undecided, I always recommend starting by losing weight and then reassess as you start hitting your goals.
- Step 2 – Learn about nutrition. There are many books, apps and formulas out there, but their findings are often the same, so don’t panic too much. Take your time to learn about the 3 macronutrients (protein, fats and carbs) and the role they play on the body. It will help you understand why you do what you do and why fads and quick fixes don’t work.
- Step 3 – With the knowledge you have obtained from steps 1 and 2, you should now create your own nutrition plans that fit into your lifestyle. Eat the foods you love, eat as frequently as you like and always keep being creative. As long as it all fits into your calorie plan from step 1 and 2, you will get your desired results. Just remember to try and keep things as nutritious as possible but still enjoyable.
- Once you have mastered this simple process, you will never have to diet and worry about food again. From the experience I have with my clients, it is so liberating when this is discovered.
Exercise
Unless you are an athlete, high performing at sports or a bodybuilder, there is no “right way” to train. Most people just want to exercise to improve their health, both mentally and physically. So in regards to exercise and workouts, you must do the one you enjoy doing. If you are new to training or only have explored a small amount of training, be patient, give yourself the opportunity to explore as many styles of training over a few months so you can discover what you don’t like, and more importantly, what you do like. This is why my Xtreme Bootcamps has a huge success rate, as over a very short time I introduce my clients to biggest variety of training and workouts.
Here is a list of training I encourage you to explore to find the thing for you: Weight training, powerlifting, boxing, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Tabata, PHA training, gym classes, outdoor classes, swimming, yoga, hiking, cycling, rowing, martial arts, yoga, football, rugby, paddle sports, climbing, kettlebell training, Pilates.
Simply put, if you don’t enjoy it, and you don’t need to do it, don’t do it!
Diets and Goal Setting
Saying “I want to get fitter”, “I need to lose weight” or “I want to be healthier” are wishes not goals. You must set goals that are tangible and achievable. This will keep you motivated, focused and lead you to greater success
Instead of “I want to get fitter” a better goal is “I want to run 10K in under 1 hour by summer”
Instead of “I need to lose weight“ a better goal is “I need to lose 10kg” or “I need to drop 2 dress sizes”
Instead of “I want to be healthier” a better goal is “I want to drop my BMI 5 points” or “I need to eat 5 pieces of fruit a day” or “I need to commit to exercising 3 times a week”
Once you have set your diet and goal settings, break them down into smaller goals or steppingstones that are aimed to be achieved roughly every 2 weeks. This has a huge positive mental impact as you get a big sense of award and achievement in regular intervals. It also keeps you on track to reach your final objective.
Having a vision with your health helps mould and marry all your training and nutrition together which will have a positive impact and change on your life!
Bootcamps
As you can imagine, bookings for our bootcamps increase this time of the year. A genuine fitness bootcamp can be the perfect solution for people looking to make a drastic change in the new year. Bootcamp can be like a fast-track university course to get all the tools you need to take control of your health and also to experience a huge amount of training under expert guidance. If you are someone who feels they need that get away escape, time to focus on themselves, support getting themselves going and getting out a rut then a weight loss boot camp is perfect.
Here are the biggest reasons people book Xtreme Bootcamps in the new year:
- They lack the confidence and knowledge to lose weight properly
- They want to kick start their year by having best fitness experience as possible
- They have set goals for year and want the structure to achieve those goals
- They are sick and tired of following fads and rapid weight camps and want to do it properly this time
- They had a blip at Christmas and want a guaranteed experienced to get going again
Top Tips to Make a Successful and Sustainable New Year, New You
- Don’t follow any fads, diets or “ground-breaking new” method
- Don’t join a gym, bootcamp, fitness retreat purely because they are doing a financial offer. Put value and respect your health and make decisions based on what inspires you, not what saves you money
- Respect the process and focus on educating yourself
- Make sure everything you eat you enjoy!
- Make you are inspired and excited to train. Do workouts you enjoy!
- If you are lost or don’t know where to start, seek professional help. Typically, the most educated and passionate PTs are usually found in independent gyms.
- Avoid commercial gyms this time of year, they are rammed with newbies as the business model is to get as many people through the doors as possible, not to help people. It can be a very chaotic, uninspiring atmosphere.
- Never stop asking questions until you are confident in what you are doing!
Happy New Year and best of luck with your fitness and health journey!
