How to Harness your January Motivation

So it’s the first week of January and you are committed to losing that weight. The festive season is well and truly over, summer holidays are looming and damn it – you will fit into that dress. At ace Lifestyle we see our class sizes balloon each and every January, with women pumped full of adrenaline and ambition. However, the problem is we all lead extremely busy lives – cooking, children, cleaning… and then repeat. It is extremely challenging to keep that motivation going. Even Charlotte and I, as personal trainers, sometimes just want to reach for that chocolate bar (or 4.)

However, at ace Lifestyle we are all about empowering you to change your lifestyle, and we want to see that motivation last well beyond January. And we believe one of the best ways of doing this is through writing a SMART chart. You may not have seen one of these since business GSCE, but boy are they useful. You should ideally write two of these –one short term and one long term. You will not, and we repeat you cannot reach, your ideal size by January 31st. That is totally OK, however you can start the process of leading a healthier lifestyle. So that come Summer you can indeed fit in that dress. So get ready with a pen and paper and follow this guide…

Specific

Setting specific goals is extremely important as they give you a target to work towards and also allow you to measure your success (more of this later.) So rather than saying I want to be thinner, say I want to lose 2 stone/2 dress sizes by August.

Measurable

Make sure your aspiration is something you can monitor, to ensure you are on the right path. The best way of doing this is to weigh yourself at the start of the process. Now we know this is difficult, however we have all been there and it really is the best way of checking your progress.

Attainable

This one is hugely important. It can be extremely tempting to set yourself a wondrous goal i.e. I want to have the body of Cindy Crawford by December 1st. However, given your lifestyle and your dieting past – is this actually attainable? On average, you can lose around a pound a week so let that be your guide and write a target that you can actually reach.

Realistic

Dieting is a lifestyle, so if you are tempted by a January detox, basically anything that mentions lose weight fast run for the hills. Not only is running a great idea for weight loss, but nothing worth having ever comes easy. Sadly losing weight will take time. However, if like the tortoise you are slow and steady you will reach your goals, just make sure they are somewhere within the realms of possibility.

Time bound

Make sure to give yourself a time frame. Like we mentioned at the beginning of the blog have short and long term goals.

Also if you do reach those goals we are big fans of rewards – get yourself a massage, buy yourself some clothes. Not to sound too cliched, but changing your lifestyle is no easy feat and any progress, in our opinion, justifies a treat.

If you are finding your weight loss journey difficult Charlotte and I are always around for a chat. Please feel free to give us a call on 07815 209 112 or email us on info@ace-lifestyle.com. Also click here for details about the ace Way Nutrition Plan. We also offer exercise classes in Hampstead Garden Suburb, Hendon, Hampstead and Finchley, check out our website for more information.