A New Decade Requires New Fitness Goals

Start the ‘20s With a Certified Personal Trainer at Home
If you’re one of those people who sees the start of a new year as a time to make life changes, you may be especially excited to have the chance to turn over a new leaf in a new decade. What’s on your list of New Year’s resolutions? If you’re like most people, two of the items — often the top two — are exercise more and lose weight.
 
If it was only that simple — to resolve to do something, and make it happen. Alas, according to numerous sources, 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. Why? “Unless you first change your mind, don’t expect your health goals to materialize,” notes an article from U.S. News & World Report. “As the saying goes, it’s not the horse that draws the cart — it’s the oats. It’s not the gym, Pilates class or diet that will change you — it’s your mind.”
 
Psychology Today finds there are four common reasons New Year’s resolutions fail:
 

• You feel overwhelmed — since change can be daunting.
• You feel discouraged — since you may not see signs of progress, or it’s not happening as quickly as you expected.
• You’re not ready to change — since you lack connection, motivation or dedication right now.
• Your goals aren’t clear — since vague objectives create room for indifference, confusion, and distance between your goals and aspiration.

 
Those first three are beyond the scope of this blog, but let’s focus on overcoming the issue of having unclear goals.
Setting SMART Goals
The concept of SMART goals has been around since 1981. While the acronym has evolved to mean different things to different people, it most commonly is defined as follows:
 

• Specific — well defined, clear and unambiguous
• Measurable — with specific criteria that measure your progress toward accomplishment
• Achievable — attainable and not impossible to achieve
• Relevant — within reach, realistic and relevant to your life purpose
• Timely — with a clearly defined timeline, including a starting date and a target date to create urgency

 
SMART goals eliminate the issue of vagueness. The method helps push you to achieve your goals by giving you a sense of direction. Consider the “exercise more” resolution; that vague statement is one reason so many January-bought gym memberships or pieces of exercise equipment go unused once February rolls around. If you take the time to set SMART goals with respect to fitness, you’ll find having direction causes you to keep going and be successful. And once you reach your original goals, you simply go through the process again — maintaining your focus to the point where exercise becomes a normal part of your life you can’t do without.
 
Finding Your Why
While setting SMART goals in your quest to be among the 20 percent who keep New Year’s resolutions is one piece of the inspiration puzzle, it’s not the only one. Another important component is your why — something you need to keep you motivated and on track.
 
Your why is your source of intrinsic motivation, behavior driven by internal rewards that’s naturally satisfying to you. Once you have your SMART goals, Life by Grit suggests starting the process of finding your why by brainstorming: “List everything that comes to mind when you think of your goal. How will you feel? What will change about your life? What makes the goal appealing to you? What are the benefits of the goal?” Trim your list to the items that really resonate with you — and you have your why.
 
Here are a few why possibilities relating to an “exercise more” goal:

• I want to live longer.
• I want to have more energy.
• I want to fit into my skinny jeans.
• I need to look great for an upcoming high school reunion.

 
I think you get the idea, so now it’s time to move on to the how — finding and working with a personal trainer to help you reach your fitness goals in a timely and effective manner.
 
Working With a Personal Trainer
Regardless of how much motivation you have, there is simply no substitute to working with a personal trainer to achieve your fitness goals. A professional personal trainer will do a lot more than hold you accountable; he or she should be able to customize a nutrition plan and workout to meet your specific needs — and adjust course as needed based on regular reassessments.
 
How do you choose the personal trainer who’s right for you? Begin by deciding where you want to train. Are you comfortable in a gym setting or more interested in personal trainers that come to your home? Then, consider the following criteria:
 

• Credentials
• Experience
• Personality
• Philosophy
• Specialties
• Cost
• Availability
• Reputation

 
A HuffPost article about choosing a certified personal trainer ends with this sage advice: “Above all else, trust your gut. Look for a knowledgeable and experienced personal trainer who feels like the most natural fit. That's the one to hire because [that person] will not only help you reach your goals, but will also keep you feeling comfortable, motivated and inspired throughout the process.”
 
Why Choose GYMGUYZ®?
Since 2008, GYMGUYZ has been providing in home training for people who are committed to fitness, starting on the East Coast. The first San Diego franchise has been operating since 2018, and there are many reasons to check it out, including the three Cs:
 

• Convenience —  What’s more convenient than personal trainers that come to your home? You’ll save time and benefit from privacy and personalized attention. In home training is perfect for busy professionals, children, people with disabilities and seniors — as well as anyone who’s gym averse.
• Customization — Your fitness program will be created to focus on your specific goals, so it will be unique. Before your first session, we’ll conduct an in-depth fitness assessment so we can customize your workouts and match you with the best certified personal trainer for your level and personality.
• Creativity — We accomplish our goal of ensuring you’re never bored by showing you creative ways to get in shape and stay motivated. No two routines are ever the same, to eliminate the monotony of doing the same thing over and over again.

 
Most importantly, GYMGUYZ delivers results, because your fitness program is created to fit your abilities and help you reach your goals. We keep you motivated and accountable — plus we keep records of your workouts and progress so we can periodically reassess your fitness level.  
 
Are you aware that people who work out with a personal trainer are 50 percent more likely to reach their fitness goals? GYMGUYZ can’t help you achieve all your New Year’s resolutions, but we can certainly address “exercise more” — and help you get fit for the ‘20s. Ready to go? Call us at 619-832-1656 to get started or book an in home consultation here.
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