It's about that time...you know what I'm talking about. The new year is coming and this is a great time to stop and reflect on the past, think about the future and plan actions for the coming year. Here are some ideas for how to spend the time between Christmas and the new year as you gear up for the coming year:
Reflect
How was the last year for you in terms of exercise, fitness and health? Take some time to reflect on what you accomplished, what you should be proud of and, perhaps, what you could improve upon. A few things to look at:
• Exercise habits - Did you workout consistently enough to make exercise more of a habit this year? Think about your overall exercise habits and how they stacked up to your goals.
• Exercise enjoyment - Did you enjoy your workouts, at least on some level? Exercise may not be as fun as, say, lounging on the beach, but you should feel a sense of satisfaction, a job well done and something positive from your workouts. If you didn't, think about how you could improve things. Could you choose activities you like more or a workout schedule that fits your lifestyle better?
• Success - Did you feel successful this year with your exercise? Whether your goal was to lose weight, get in shape or just make exercise a habit, how did you do? When you look back, do you feel you were successful overall?
Predict
After thinking about what you accomplished last year, think about the coming year. What would you like to improve upon? Some ideas:
• Exercise more consistently
• Push myself harder
• Give myself permission to rest more often
• Try new activities
• Give myself new challenges like training for a race
Plan
The last step is to think about your plan of attack. All those reflections and predictions are good, but taking action is the only way to get to where you want to go. Thinking about your predictions, how will you reach your goals? I'll be covering this over the next few weeks, but now is a great time to think about putting together a plan of action.
What about you? Do you spend time reflecting, predicting and planning for the coming year? Do you make New Year's resolutions? Vote in this week's poll and leave a comment to tell us how you'll prepare for the coming year.
