It's that time of year again. Yes, 'tis the Resolution Season. That annual ritual in which we set out lofty goals and go at them with 150 percent effort....for the month of January. Then comes February and the vows of "I will lose 25 pounds" or "No more dessert for me!" give way to our (not so healthy) patterns of old. The surest illustration of these Gung-Ho Resolution-ers is at the gym, where attendance spikes Jan. 1 and steadily goes back to normal by February.
My Dad, a fellow Badass from whom I inherited my muscle tone and love of iron-pumping, is an executive living in Tokyo. He tells me there is a Japanese saying for these people. It translates, literally, into "Three-Day Priest." Righteous for a few days, only to revert back to the "sins" of sloth and gluttony.
But it doesn't have to be this way. Our resolutions can actually become reality. We can actually see results. We can actually be long-term Badasses, instead of short-term Sort-of-Badasses. As a fitness instructor and personal trainer, I see a lot of people come and go. The ones who stay, who keep coming back and keep getting leaner and stronger, all follow a few simple but essential strategies to stay on the Badass path.
Here they are. Badass Tested and Approved:
1. Get Real: The fastest way to failed resolutions is by way of fantasy. Be real, honest, and true with yourself. If you love chocolate, swearing it off is unrealistic. Eventually, chocolate will overpower you. So don't swear it off. Find healthier ways to enjoy chocolate, moderation being the best way. If you truly hate running, don't resolve to run a marathon. Instead, find the activity that you enjoy enough to keep doing. Swimming, rowing, cycling, skating, surfing, tennis, hiking - whatever. If you're moving that Badass, you're ahead of the game.
2. Baby Steps: Vowing to "lose 50 pounds" is daunting. I mean, even 20 pounds can seem like a long ways away. Same goes with healthy eating. If you resolve to "eat 5 to 7 servings of fruits and veggies each day" but currently eat none, that is a huge adjustment. So why not break down those goals into smaller goals? Take baby steps: "This week, I will eat one extra piece of fruit every day" or "I will lose 5 pounds by the end of January." Keep baby stepping, and within a few months you're closer than ever to your finish line.
3. Seeing is Believing: One of my cycling students is working to lose her baby weight, and the thing driving her is this: Swimsuit shopping in the spring. She has a visual of where she wants to be, of what she's working for. I still have the Dara Torres swimsuit picture on my refrigerator. Find a visual. Even the toughest of Badasses need a reminder of what the goal line looks like.
4. Reward thyself (sans food): We are a society that celebrates with food - the holiday season being the most gluttonous example. We also comfort ourselves with food. It starts when we're little, with ice cream rewards for good report cards, and continues through adulthood, when we commiserate with Ben & Jerry after a bad day. Well, get over it. This is one of the toughest things, but we have to recondition ourselves to reward ourselves and comfort ourselves withOUT food. When you have a rough day or week, why not get a massage or 'escape" with a movie? When you reach those baby-step goals, you should absolutely reward yourself - with new sneakers, a new workout outfit, or even a healthy cooking class. But not with an ice cream sundae.
5. Remember Why: What are you doing this for? What prompted you to make your resolution? Maybe it's wanting to set a better example for your child, or wanting to have the energy to run around after her. Maybe your doctor scared you with that "pre-diabetes" diagnosis. Maybe you're just sick of feeling like crap. Whatever your "why," don't forget it. In the toughest moments, when you start to feel like a temporary priest, remembering the "why" of your resolution can be the trigger to keep you going.
6. Stumble, don't fall: The Japanese joke about the "Three-Day Priest," but they have more than a few other wise proverbs and sayings as well. My current favorite: Fall down seven times, stand up eight. We are human. We will trip up, veer off path, skip a cycling class or eat M&Ms instead of light popcorn. The Badass thing to do when we fall is to get back up and keep on going. Fall down a few times, but always get up. And keep walking....right past that Three-Day Priest.
Coming up: Lessons from "Fatty," and the three things that could be holding you back from that sculpted Badass
