How many of you out there made fitness goals for 2020? It seems pretty unanimous that there is a consistent draw to “jump back on the bandwagon” after the holidays are over and hit the ground running on all the latest fitness trends. Even for me, December felt like such a wash between the fertility treatments and holiday food and beverage, all I wanted to do at the start of January was devote myself to clean eating, hardcore workouts, and hit the sauna to sweat it out.
I know it might be easier to count classes or count calories when we are really trying to focus on results, but I have seen so many clients get burnout this way, and not actually stick to their New Year’s goals that they so desperately intended on keeping in January. Our bodies are our vessels and creating more stress and fatigue around what is lacking only causes it to burnout. Instead of burning yourself out in the first quarter of the year, it works so much better to shift your focus to how good you can feel in your body, what feeds your soul and what movement practice resonates the most with you.
After my own attempts of trying to start this year off a little too aggressively, I had to bring it back to basics and remember what was the most important. I comprised this list of tips that are helpful not only for keeping your New Year’s goals, but also to generally be kinder to yourself and to stay positive, because that is the only way we are going to bring about lasting change.
Drink A LOT of water. Hydration is key! It helps your body flush out toxins, keeps your joints lubricated and mobile, and is essential to daily living. It is recommended to be drinking at least half your weight in water daily.
Learn how to breathe – take fuller, intentional mindful breaths throughout the day.
Explore – instead of sticking to your normal workout routine, use this time of year to explore new modalities. So many studios and gyms are offering specials for the New Year, take advantage of them and try something different.
Do more of what feels good! Whether it’s a runners high or the blissed out sensations after a restorative yoga class, do more of the activities that feed your soul.
SLEEP – in our overworked and overdoing society, good sleep does not get enough accolades. A solid night’s sleep (between 7-9 hours) is the only way that your body restores itself, from both stress and hard workouts.
You can set an intention or goal any day, not just in January. You can change your mind about what you want halfway through the year, or you might fall off for a few weeks or months. As long as you keep going and continue to strive to be the best version of you, and sometimes that might look like not doing anything at all, then that is all that matters.
Overall, if we feed our bodies nutritiously, move them intentionally they will honor us for life. Our bodies are our vessels, let’s treat them kindly in 2020. Pilates will forever be my foundation and what feels like home. If you are in the East Bay and want to book a session or take a class check out Move With Studio.
