PERRY BUCHANAN: Planning for your new year

You survived Thanksgiving and have one more major holiday to survive before the New Year. Your New Year’s resolutions have been made, but will you stick with your nutrition plan and exercise program? Do you have a plan of action?

The simple fact is that it’s challenging to begin and adhere to an exercise program for an extended period. For whatever reason, one of the most difficult, but important, aspects of a fitness program is staying motivated and on track. Everyone is motivated by a range of factors and circumstances, and the key is to discover what motivates you. To be assured that this will be the year you reach your cornucopia of resolutions, follow these five simple guidelines as you get in your New Year “beast mode.”

Step 1: Take personal responsibility and get started. Personal responsibility is necessary for personal change. Why do so many weight-loss sales pitches start off with: “It’s not your fault?” It’s because taking responsibility off your shoulders opens the door to selling you a gimmick. The truth is, you have no power to change until you accept responsibility for where you are today and for your future results. Set short- and long-range goals and map out your plan. Set performance goals as well as weight-loss goals. If you focus on the actions, the results will follow.

Step 2: Embrace evidence-based fitness. The two most prevalent types of scams have always been “get rich quick” and “lose weight quick” scams. Both leave you poorer, and weight-loss scams can also leave you in poorer health. There are so many more of these scams and gimmicks today, and the internet can deliver them so persuasively. You must learn to demand proof before you buy into anything. Investigate before you invest. There are no real secrets to fat loss. It doesn’t take a huge time investment, it doesn’t require taking special food supplements, and it doesn’t require killing yourself. It only requires you to get started and be consistent.

Step 3: It starts with what you put in your mouth. If you’re wearing it, you ate it. A lot of people still believe calories don’t count. They’re sadly misguided. Of course, there’s more to good nutrition than calories. If you’re concerned about what is happening inside your arteries and your health, then the quality of your food matters a lot. That doesn’t change the fact that a calorie deficit must be there first for weight loss to occur. Depending on your dietary habits, you may not have to count calories, but calories do count. You can’t outrun your fork.

Step 4: Stay accountable through review and evaluation. Accountability is the ultimate key to sticking with it. Keeping track of your daily nutrition and exercise by tracking calories and writing down your sets and reps in a workout journal may seem tedious, but journaling has been shown to help you reach your goals faster. Technology now offers many more ways for us to track our fitness progress with many apps or online calorie counters. Studies show that participants who journal their actions and results are far more successful than those who don’t.

Also remember that on a fitness plan, fat loss and muscle gain can often level the number on the scale. You might not lose weight because you’re gaining muscle. Measuring your body composition along with your weight will give you the true picture. It is in the retaking of these measurements at predetermined intervals that will keep you grounded. Remember, what gets analyzed, gets done.

Step 5: Don’t make it an all-or-nothing proposition. Compliance, your ability to stick with your program, is the most crucial factor for long-term fat loss success. If you’re human, you will eventually stumble. Learn to forgive your slip-ups. When you slip up, salvage your program and get back on track.

People can accomplish almost anything if they are motivated enough. But what does it take to reach that level of motivation? It starts with a positive, optimistic attitude and a belief system. The simplest way to get started is by asking yourself what you hope to accomplish and why it is important to you. This will help you discover what your true motivations are so you can have a healthy, fit New Year.

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