Health & Fitness – New Year, New Routine
By Josh Biard & Matt Greenemeier
The start of the New Year is a good time to reflect on the past year and take some time to establish new healthy habits and routines, but where and how to begin can be a little daunting. Do you know your priorities and goals? How are you going to adapt your nutrition and exercise plan and stay motivated?
Don’t worry, we got you covered! I enlisted one of the most innovative and motivating people in the golf fitness world, Matt Greenemeier, to help you get your goals in order and kick off 2021 with a solid attack plan.
There is no try … there is only to do or not, right? Well maybe. Cliché as it sounds, most fitness programs succeed or fail before they begin. Well-organized plans should be life altering. “Diets” are fine to lose a couple pounds but for sustained health-improving habits, goals should be realistic and for the long term. Here are some helpful steps to get you started.
Get your “mind right”: Set a no-kidding-around, drop-dead date in your calendar that gives you enough time to prepare and communicate with your doctor and fitness professional. Annotate the reasons you want to start a fitness plan. Are you doing it to live longer, be healthier, lose weight or look better? Whatever the reason, if you keep focused on it, you will be better able to motivate yourself.
Shop and stock: Generate a meal list of appropriate foods you like. There is a lot of high-quality, good-tasting whole food out there to enjoy. Pick your six favorite (healthy), dinner-time foods and rotate through them for the first 12 nights. Having a meal to look forward to will decrease the likelihood of slipping.
Set a menu: Plan out your weekly meals and snacks. You may need to take meals to work with you. Slip-ups often happen when you simply don’t have a better food option available. This includes planning for travel and eating out. Most restaurants have online menus. Knowing what you will order before you arrive will help avoid giving into foods that are not “trainer-approved.”
Inform your support group: Tell your family, friends and neighbors … or anyone that will listen to you about your intensions. This will help hold you accountable and will signal to them that they should not apply any undue pressure on you by eating poorly around you. You can set the example!
Establish an exercise regimen: Consult with your doctor and fitness professional about an appropriate exercise program. Be specific: are you a golfer? Then talk to a Titleist Performance Institute Golf Fitness expert. Everybody is different and you should build a program around your needs and abilities. Balance is key, and any age group should mix in some form of strength training with regular cardiovascular training. It is never too late to begin.
Put it in your calendar: Carve out times for yourself and set your workout times in your phone or computer. This makes training times official and it makes you less likely to skip them. Fitness sessions don’t have to last hours and take up your whole week. Prioritize 30 minutes regularly to establish a routine.
Plan to succeed and you are most likely to do so. Set realistic goals and communicate with professionals who can help guide you. Remember, the bottom line should be to become healthy or healthier. “Reduced waistline” goals are great, but should be a byproduct of establishing a lifestyle of healthy living.