How to Make LASTING Changes in 2020
By Brian Thomas, MS, ACSM-CPT
The time has come once again. Time to uproot your entire life as you know it, demolish all of your bad habits, and completely overhaul everything about yourself so that you can become the ultimate superhuman in 2020, right?!
Of course not. That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? And yet, every January, that seems to be the mentality people take when trying to take action on the dreaded New Year’s Resolutions. Let’s be honest; making changes is hard. If it were easy, there would be no need for New Year’s Resolutions, health/fitness coaches, or articles like this.
If making any kind of lasting changes to your health, nutrition, or fitness is part of your “resolution package”, then this article will help by making you aware of some common pitfalls to avoid along your journey.
1. Expecting changes to happen quickly. Even if you do everything perfectly, LASTING change takes time. There is a reason those “quick weight loss” gimmick diets and workout programs never bring about lasting change. Because lasting change is about adopting new habits into your lifestyle, and that takes time to truly take hold and become permanent. Don’t rush it. The long-term rewards of healthy, sustainable habits will vastly outweigh the short-term satisfaction of short-cuts and gimmicks. Also, be skeptical of any coach or program that makes any claims about “fast weight loss”, “speedy muscle gains”, or anything like that. They don’t care about your health; they just want your money.
2. Expecting changes to happen continuously. It doesn’t matter what type of change you are trying to impart on your body, the process is not going to be linear. Your weight will go up a little (or down a little) when you don’t want it to. You’ll have days in the weight room where warm-up weights are crushing you. This does not mean you are failing, or doing something wrong. It is a natural part of the change-making process. Don’t confuse small setbacks with total failure! Additionally, there is such a thing as the Law of Diminishing Returns. Don’t let yourself get discouraged if you make rapid progress in the beginning, but then it tapers off and eventually plateaus. This is completely normal and expected, and will happen to any change you make to your body.
3. Speaking of setbacks, don’t think you’re immune to those! We’re all human beings. If you’ve lived any kind of life, you know that there are a lot of things we can’t control. You had to stay late at work and missed your normal workout time. Your friends chose a restaurant that doesn’t have many healthy options. You got sick. You got overwhelmed. There will be moments when you falter. That’s totally fine AS LONG AS YOU LEAVE IT BEHIND YOU WHEN IT’S DONE. Any mistakes along the way are simply single moments on a long, winding road to your goals. Once they’re done, they’re done. One missed workout or indulgent meal will not tank your progress, as long as it doesn’t snowball into weeks of excuses and binges. Step 1: FORGIVE YOURSELF! Step 2: Get yourself ready to go for tomorrow. Step 3: Wake up and get back on track.
4. Not having goals. Give yourself something to shoot for, and be realistic about it. Those who set goals are more likely to stay the course on their way to making lasting changes. Be specific, be realistic, and track your progress periodically. This will go a long way toward holding yourself accountable for your choices and habits.
5. Not finding support. Support can come from anywhere, but it’s important to have. If possible, having support at home is one of the most effective ways to stay on track. When your significant other and/or your kids are on board, making changes becomes a cinch. However, any form of support will help. A friend, roommate, family member, “gym family”, workout partner, etc. Having someone to help you, hold you accountable, and be your cheerleader when necessary will help to push you through all of the hard times and help you celebrate the good times.
6. Thinking there is only one “right” way. While there are certain fundamental practices and habits that should form the foundation for maintaining good health, at the end of the day you have to make your health, fitness, and nutrition fit into your life, not the other way around. One of my biggest problems with a lot of the information that is being put on the Internet and social media, is that almost all of them invariably claim that their method is the be all and end all of methods. In most cases, that’s simply not true. In the end, you have to find the exercise and nutrition practices that fit your life and will be sustainable in the long term.
7. Thinking changes have to be big. This is probably the most common mistake. I hear it time and time again from people who have had a lot of success with health and fitness changes: “I just started with a couple small changes…” Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start with a couple of small, easy changes (like no cell phone before bed, take a multivitamin every morning, etc). Stick with them until you are sure you’ve got them down pat, and then begin to include other changes. Increase the magnitude and challenge of the changes you make as your comfort and confidence increases.
8. Having a temporary mindset. I’m all for 30-day challenges and 12-week workout programs, as long as you don’t see the end of those programs as the end of the road. Life continues long after a 14-day detox cleanse or 8-week class session at the local fitness club. Instead of picturing how you want to look and feel in 3 months, picture how you want to look and feel in 30 years! Make decisions today that will benefit the older version of you.
By avoiding the common mistakes I have discussed in this article, you will give yourself the best possible chance of being successful in making all of the health and fitness changes you want to make in 2020, AND MAKE THOSE CHANGES LAST A LIFETIME!