Happy New Year… Another year has passed and we now have the opportunity for another fresh start!
Just a few days ago I was interviewed by the Toronto SUN for a piece on New Year’s Fitness Goals. During this interview I shared what I consider to be some of the key elements for setting and achieving your health and fitness related goals for 2012. Here is the Toronto SUN article and a brief video on the SUN website with some footage from our interview:

Some other New Year’s fitness suggestions I offered included:

1. You can’t out-train a bad diet.  You need to realize that exercise alone, although very important, is not enough. Your nutrition plan has to be your priority, especially if your goal is to lose some body fat and keep it off.

2. Set goals that challenge you but are very achievable, and then commit to doing one small thing every day.  By setting smaller achievable goals every day, you will build confidence and start seeing results, which will empower you towards reaching larger goals.

3. Have someone to answer to.  By finding an “accountability partner” it becomes less easy to give up on yourself.  Tell someone you trust what your goals are, and ask them to hold you accountable and support you if needed.

4. Focus on behaviors, not outcomes.  As long as you focus on changing your daily habits and behaviors, the results will come.  If you are too focused on the long term outcome, and you don’t see results as quickly as you expected, it is easy to talk yourself out of your commitment to change.

5. Forget the excuses!  You can find a solution to every excuse, if you try.  Not enough time? Give up your favorite TV show (or other time-wasting activity) and take one time-saving forms of exercise like High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) for an simple and efficient way to get in shape.

6. Get your head right!  Pay attention to your attitude and mindset.  Do you talk yourself out of something before you even try?  Is your head full of negative self-talk?  Do you tend to complain alot or make excuses?  You need to do some mental conditioning before you can shape up your body.  Catch yourself when you notice the negative thought patterns, and re-focus on something positive related to your goals.

7. Finally, get out of your comfort zone.  All success in life is achieved just outside your comfort zone.  If your current goal is to just be “comfortable”, I suggest you reconsider your goals.  More dynamic goals might be to become happier, healthier, more successful, more excited, more passionate, etc.  If you can experience something new that expands your comfort zone you will notice exciting new opportunities and a whole new world open up to you.

This morning I decided to start the New Year down at the Lakeshore, for the annual Polar Bear Dip with my friend Conor Kelly (of Evolution Fitness).  Jumping into ice cold water was certainly outside of my comfort zone, but it was also an exhilarating experience.  Here’s a quick video I made for you right after getting out of the water:

 

Happy New Year!

Stay fit,

Josh