5 things to do NOW to get ready for Spring!
Will this Winter ever end?!
Of course it will! I’m feeling so motivated by the idea of Spring today! The snow is still deep, my son is home on yet ANOTHER snow day, but still, there is hope in my heart that we WILL see Spring! Are you ready? No? Well let’s get ready!
Define your goal.
This is an absolute must. You don’t get in a car and start driving without having a destination in mind. If you don’t have something to strive for, you will waste time and feel like a failure. Without a goal, you have nothing to work toward. So what kind of goal should you have? There are ways to word it that will be more successful than others. Let me show you….
“I want to lose weight.”-this goal is common. You’ve had this one for years. It’s broad, unspecific, and never ending. If you choose this goal, you may as well get in the car and say “I want to head south.”
Instead “I want to lose 10 pounds of fat” -this goal is specific in how much and what you want to lose. As some of you know, the scale can be a liar. If you put on 5 pounds of muscle and lose 5 pounds of fat, the scale will tell you that you’ve had no change and you will feel like you haven’t been working hard enough. Then you get sad….then you eat potato chips. Get your fat percentage measured so that you have a clearer picture on your success. It’s WORTH IT!
Make a nutrition plan.
Yes, nutrition is the first part of your plan. You have to get your food RIGHT. You can run, jump and squat and it won’t get you the results you want unless your kitchen is in order.
As I’ve said before to my clients and on this blog, “everything works”. Keto works, Paleo works, Macros work, Intermittent fasting works. You have to decide what will work FOR YOU.
Take it all into account before you decide. Are you a food prepper? or do you HATE pre made meals? Maybe you just hate being bogged down by having to think about what you’ll want for lunch 3 days from now? My advice is to follow a plan that you will want to follow for the rest of your life. Find balance so that when you are celebrating a birthday, you can have some cake and not feel like you’re “cheating”.
Fitness!
You’ve got your goal, you’ve got your nutrition. Now let’s work out! You’re goals and you’re nutrition will directly affect your fitness decisions.
If your goal is to be a ripped up, shredded, BEAST…. then your workouts will be quite different than someone who wants better mobility and to drop a pant size. That’s where your specific goal setting comes into play. If you want 6 pack abs, and muscle bound legs and booty, your workouts will include more weight training than someone who wants a less muscular appearance. Having an idea of what you want your body to look like will help you decide what workouts you want to be doing.
Now, if your goal is to get moving after years of a sedentary lifestyle, just get up and go. Find what soothes your soul. Find the exercise that makes you happy right away. Basketball at the park with your kids? Hiking through the woods? (one of my all time faves), what about past loves? I have clients who competed as swimmers as kids…Go get back in the pool! The best exercise is the one you like to do….because you’ll do it
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Get your head right.
This could be at the top of the list, but I find it’s most important a few weeks in. In the beginning of this journey, when you’re planning and making a program, it seems easier to stay motivated. It’s only after life hits you a couple times that you realize that this can be a long hard road.
If you go back to our car analogy it’s easier to see. Imagine you’re driving (an automatic of course), you have 3 choices. Drive, Reverse, or Park. That’s all the choices you have every day when it comes to weight loss and wellness. What should I do today? Should I keep driving toward my destination of fitness? or should I just sit here idle? or worse yet…should I drive back home negating all of the driving that I’ve done so far? The car analogy helps me to see that every choice I make, drives me toward or stops me from my destination.
So eat your veggies-GREEN LIGHT! Skip the workout? RED LIGHT! Binge on cookies and potato chips? REVERSE!!
Spring Clean!
We’re still talking about preparing for Spring right? This one is surprising. Spring Clean your house! You will not only burn through calories by deep cleaning your home, you will feel like you’ve had a fresh start. Washing curtains, cleaning closets, and clearing cobwebs in the basement will help to reset your mind. You are starting brand new! You will thank yourself for the spring clean too!
When it comes down to it, Spring is coming whether you are ready or not! You may as well start preparing so you feel great by the time the sun comes out and the flowers come up.
