Having a successful 2023 fitness journey
January is the time of the year most people set their health, wellness and fitness goals for the year. We consider it is important to set goals for the simple reason your mind gets focused to achieve a result. However, statistically over 60% of people who make such goals fail and never manage to accomplish their goal by the end of the year despite their best intentions. Below we look at the habits of the most consistent Chisel N Striders who had a successful 2022 fitness journey, and provide some tips to your January goal mapping.
Habits of successful 2022 fitness journeys
In 2022, we had a number of Chisel N Striders who followed the same pattern and managed to get fitter in a period of 12 months. Here are the 5 consistent habits these Chisel N Striders had which led them to having successful 2022 fitness journeys:
they attended three classes a week consistently each month
they diversified their three classes
they always booked their classes one week ahead so that it was set in their schedules
they entered running races which meant their training was more focused
they focused on tackling their fitness journey one month at a time
Our recommendations
Mapping Out Your Monthly Goals
As mentioned above, goal setting is important because it focuses you to strive for a result. We recommend at the beginning of each month to get a piece of paper out and write out 4 health / fitness goals for each month. Stick this on your bathroom mirror (or a spot you visit each day) to remind you what your goals are. Your monthly goals could for example - attending 3 classes per week for 4 weeks / running twice per week / making a dietary change for 4 weeks. Choose a goal which is specific, achievable, and realistic with your schedule.
Ask yourself Why
Why am I setting this health / fitness goal? If the reason is because you and only you want to achieve this goal, this will give you the motivation to see through your goal. Do not set goals because others expect you to do so or because it is the fashionable thing to do so.
Be Patient and Realistic
A common pitfall we see when fitness goal mapping is being unrealistic with the timeframe devoted to accomplishing the goal. Change takes time for your body to adapt to. As long as you are consistent and frequent in your fitness actions, your body will respond but be patient and realistic with your timeframe to achieve your health or fitness goals.
Challenge yourself
We believe competition brings out the very best in you and for this reason you will always encouraging you to have one of your fitness goals be entering a running race. As a rule of thumb, we do not generally let anyone enter the Chisel N Stride team unless they have done the requisite training to enter the race. In 2022, those that did the 6 week race preparation training achieved personal bests or in some cases were in the top 3 of their race category.
Use data to guide you
Determining whether you are in fact getting fitter can only be determined by relying on data. At Chisel N Stride we believe in science to guide us in determining whether you are making progress in your fitness journey. Using heart rate data, you are in a position to determine whether you are training correctly and thereby making progress or achieving your fitness goals.
Your January Motto
“Consistent Commitment” should be your January fitness motto. Set your January goals, commit to them and be consistent in your actions to achieve those goals.