New Years Advice for 2009

This is cheesy and I almost feel bad for making a post like this. I don’t normally target the ‘average folks’ as my demographic, but I’m told I need a ‘friendlier’ and ‘less intimidating’ demeanor, so why not?

It’s that time again, as we all know. All the New Years resolutioners will be piling into the gyms, swearing to stop smoking and eating crap and making sure to run a few miles a day. It’s a time most of us regulars dread, for numerous reasons. The good news is that by February, most of this storm-surge will be back on the couch eating chips and complaining about how they just don’t have time to exercise.

Hey, they keep paying the bills for the rest of us, so it’s worth a month’s worth of inconvenience in my ever-so-humble opinion.

That said, there’s some small percentage of the resolutioners that will catch the bug one way or another. This can be mild, a girl that just sticks to her daily treadmill walks and circuit training, right on up to full-blown strength junkie or aspiring bodybuilder. The latter is rare, for sure, but hardly unheard of. It’s that percent of a percent that I’m aiming this towards.

I’m breaking all my rules in this post, because here’s a nicely-formatted list. Next thing you know I’ll be posting affiliate links on here.

1. Make sure to have a goal

This is where everybody screws up. When the average person (average American) thinks of ‘getting in shape for New Years’, he or she parses this in odd ways.

Those of us in the know understand that ‘being in shape’ can mean a lot of things. An Olympic weightlifter is in shape. So is a sprinter. So is a martial artist. So is a marathon runner. Yet all of these, and every shade of gray in between, are built for different goals.

The average person doesn’t seem to approach it in those terms. S/he tends to think of it as going to the gym, running a few hours a week, knocking off some sets on the machines (always chest and biceps!), and then getting the body of the Bowflex guy on TV. Or the girl in the swimsuit, if you’re a girl.

Not so fast! People that end up looking good end up that way by and large because they train and diet to look that way. The ‘and’ is emphasized for a reason. They’ve built up some muscle while keeping a low level of body fat. Doing that requires a specific regime in the gym and with your nutrition. Further, this regime may or may not be compatible with other goals that you’re tacking on.

I can’t tell you how many people I see coming in with the impression that they can train for a marathon or go do some other completely inappropriate training while still expecting to end up with a ‘show-off’ physique. Or even worse, those of you that come in with no goal at all other than ‘I want to get in shape’. It doesn’t work that way.

Which brings me to the point: have a goal in mind. When you show up and just start doing random stuff, that may or may not be getting you where you want to be. Yes, it’s great that you got off the couch and decided to make a change. Now don’t let yourself get frustrated by not having a defined goal.

Having a goal can keep you motivated. It can give you benchmarks to make sure you’re on the right track. Most importantly, having a defined goal tells you what you need to be doing and what you don’t need to be doing.

Don’t just say ‘I want to get in shape’. Ask yourself how you want to get in shape. What do you want from it? Do you want to get stronger? Do you want to perform better in your sport? Do you want to show off your shredded abs? Do you just want to be healthier?

All of these are perfectly valid goals, yet all of them will have different requirements and needs. You need to know what those requirements are before showing up and spinning your wheels.

This was supposed to be a list, I realize. But I do reserve the right to add to this over the next week or so, so pay attention.