PERRY BUCHANAN; Dont put resolutions off until the new year

The New Year is approaching fast. This time of year, we have a tendency to procrastinate on our workouts and diets. Then, we attack our fitness goals full blast come first of the year.

From there, I see many people burn out within a few weeks. Some research shows that 50 percent of people who make resolutions have already moved on and forgotten all about it by six months in. With that in mind, the best way to beat the odds is to start now, before the new year. Find success by following a better strategy. Avoid just procrastinating and impulsively diving in when January hits. With a better strategy, when a good percentage of people are falling by the wayside, you will be a step ahead.

Use the 4 P’s strategy. In business, an established successful marketing mix is executed through what’s known as the 4 P’s: Price, Product, Promotion, and Place. I like to think successful fitness programming has its own 4 P’s: Purpose, Plan, Prepare, and Prioritize.

Purpose: What do you want to accomplish and why is that goal important to you? Your plan should be specific and relative to your needs and desires. Training with purpose and intent is vital to accomplish any fitness quest. Consider your current goals. Are they meaningful, or are they a cookie-cutter replica of someone else’s goal? A goal that isn’t attached to something deep and personal within you is a dead-end waiting to happen. It should hurt if you fail. If it doesn’t, it won’t drive you.

Plan: A successful plan sets quantifiable goals. Although it all starts with a goal, if you don’t have an action plan your goals are just dreams. Be sure it is a realistic plan. If you’ve never exercised before and set a goal to run a five minute mile in three months, you’ve almost certainly set yourself up for failure. It’s great to be motivated and set lofty goals is, but they have to be realistic. The sky can be the limit, but progress with incremental goals.

Prepare: Once your plan is in place, you have to be prepared to execute it. This not only applies to exercise, but is of even more importance in maintaining healthy eating habits. Designate one day (Sunday for most) as a preparation day for your whole week. Make a list of your future meals and the ingredients required for the entire week. Use this list when you go grocery shopping. You can then prepare a whole week of meals and store them in individual covered containers for each day of the week. Without doing this, you will be more likely to impulsively grab something from a vending machine when you get hungry, or drive through a fast food place.

Prioritize: We get excited about getting in shape come January, but as time passes our goals are moved lower on our totem pole of priorities. Only by making and keeping your fitness program a priority will you avoid setbacks and relapses. Treat working out like an important errand. Work days can be hectic and tempt us to procrastinate on working out. You schedule times for other people and things in your life, so don’t put your needs on the back burner. Schedule an appointment with yourself to unwind and re-energize. During Thanksgiving, while taking time to be thankful, be grateful for all the benefits that can be obtained through exercise.

By following the steps of having a purpose, planning, preparing and prioritizing you will accomplish all you are capable of obtaining. To tie everything together and assure long term success there’s one other P that is absolutely essential. You have to be persistent. You don’t need to beat yourself up to have an effective workout. Learn to value consistency more than intensity. Just stay the course! Consider working out like saving for retirement. Lifelong health and fitness require an investment of effort that might not pay noticeable dividends for weeks or months. It takes time, attention, and most importantly, consistency. The fittest people don’t always work the hardest every time, but they are persistent and remain focused on their goals.

This time of year brings reflection, ‘tis the season for giving thanks. There are too many things and too many people to properly acknowledge. But I want to take this moment to thank you, The Albany Herald reader, for reading my articles. Wishing you a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Perry Buchanan, owner of PT Gym, is certified as an Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Email him at [email protected]. Follow @ptgym on Twitter.