Here it is, the New Year and with that, it's time for you to make your New Years resolutions! You're going to change your whole life! Drop 30 lbs, eat nothing but fruit, spend more time with the family and save a million dollars. Except you won't. Do. Any of it. There are several reasons why most New Years Resolutions fail:
Unrealistic expectations (You aren't dropping 20 lbs a month. Or quitting ALL sugar in a day. Or marrying Margot Robbie.)
Too many goals (You can't change your diet, routine, priorities, hair color, job, pets, children's names, etc at the same time. It overwhelms you and you quit everything)
You don't REALLY want the resolution (either lying to yourself, or its someone elses resolution for you)
But if you want to really become healthier and improve your fitness, try this: instead of a big sweeping resolution, make 3 small lifestye changes. Its the same reason I tell my Bergeron Personal Training clients not to diet. If you want real change in your life, its the little changes over time that add up to big results. Not some reactionary diet for two months. So instead of an unrealistic fitness resolution, try to do this instead:
A permanent lifestyle change (Cut back on your starches. Go to the gym 4 times a week. Wake up earlier. etc.)
3 changes MAX at a time (Any more than 3 and your odds of failure more than triple)
Make it part of your life plan (If it doesn't correlate to a lifestyle you want, you won't stick with it. For more on this, check my post on being congruent.)
Cut out bad influences (You are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Choose wisely. Check out this tweet from Warren Buffet:)
A big part of my job as a personal trainer and coach is to help people find fitness and health goals that motivate them for long term success in their lives. If the thought of making any real progress or change with your exercise, fitness, or nutrition goals overwhelms you, let me know. Whether you live in Scottsdale or anywhere else in the world, we can work together to make sure that 2018 is year you finally get your life on track. (And if you do end up marrying Margot Robbie, I can recommend a great DJ for you.)
Ramsey Bergeron owns and operates Bergeron Personal Training in Scottsdale, AZ. He is an NASM CPT, 7 time Ironman, and former spokesperson for a national suppliment company. He has been seen in Men's Health Magazine among other periodicals and over 40 million newspapers across the country. He is also an expert contributor to various online fitness articles. He also founded Bergeron Adventure Travel which he uses to motivate clients to by preparing them for and leading them on hikes and trips around the world. Having led groups over the Inca Trail in Peru and the Milford Sound in New Zealand, he is currently planning a trip for his clients in 2018 to hike the Lysefjord in Norway.