Well…
It’s about that time when all of the talk of going back the gym (or starting for the first time) begins.
I, along with half the country, was struck down with a severe case of man flu for the past two weeks (can you hear violins playing?) so I haven’t actually been able to eat rings around myself and gain weight…Lucky me.
Anyway… before you begin making all of those grand plans for the new year, remember, the biggest mistake any of you can possibly make is setting yourself up to go to the gym 25 times in January in an effort to lose 2 stone (13kg) while abstaining from alcohol and all forms of enjoyment altogether.
It simply won’t work.
Try going once this week (mainly because, if you haven’t been training in weeks, or ever, you will be like bambi after your first session).
Twice the next.
Three times per week in February.
If you miss a day here and there, don’t cry and hit the cake and 3 bottles of wine on a Wednesday evening and call yourself a loser.
It’s fine…
In order to lose weight in January, you just have to NOT DO what you were doing in December. i.e… Not drink every night and eat to your hearts content.
Then, in order to continue to lose weight in February, you need to do the same thing, with a few tweaks, and you will continue to lose weight /gain muscle /both.
You DO NOT need to hit the gym hard, up-end yourself and eat salads everyday. It just needs to be progressively better than what you did in November and December.
It is NOT a case of ‘all or nothing’.
Your new years resolutions should not be to sit in your house eating leaves and becoming a hermit. This is why they fail.
You can still enjoy yourself, you just have to have a little less fun than you did last year.
Go out on the weekends, it’s fine. Get a take away now and again, that is fine too.
So there you have it, follow this advice and you will certainly lose your ‘holiday weight’ before February and then you can get ‘a little’ more stuck in when February comes around. I have just saved you the frustration and pain (mainly muscle pain) of going ‘hell for leather’ in January and failing miserably before you even get to February.
[shameless plug] If you get a trainer or sign up to a class to eliminate guesswork and waste no time, this process will be expediated even more.
Sign up here to book in for a class or arrange a Free Consultation with one of our coaches.
Thanks,
Bryan Kavanagh BSc. CSCS
Bachelor of Science, Sport Science & Health (hons)
NSCA, Certified Personal Trainer
NSCA, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
ITEC, Level 3 Sports Massage Therapist