HARKIN'S HEALTH KICK: Don't be a New Year resolution flop!

I’m going to share with you all some very simple and effective tips that - if applied – will ensure you hit the ground running in the New Year.

These are tactics that I use personally in my business and my training, and when training my clients in my gym.

Imagine what would be possible if your mind was clear and focused? You knew exactly what you had to do and the direction you were going.

Every single year, people see January first approaching fast on the horizon, and have this romantic notion that they’ll wake up suddenly more motivated than ever to change their lives. The cycle usually goes something like this:

We see January approaching, we relax a bit TOO much over Christmas (we’re making a change in January, right? So let’s really make the most of the Christmas partying). We wake up in the New Year, still lacking motivation, and still unsure of what to do next.

On a weekly basis, I’ll hear similar things from people: “I wish I could do what you do, but I just don’t have the motivation” or “I really want to change, but I just can’t seem to get myself motivated”.

The problem isn’t that you’re not motivated – you want to make a change, you ARE motivated. The fact that you actively are fed up with the position you’re in and want to turn things around means you ARE motivated. The problem is that you just don’t know how to channel that motivation into focus, direction, and a clear cut path to achieving what you want.

If you’re reading this now thinking: “he’s describing me to a tee here” – you’re not alone, we all do this.

I can guarantee if you put the following into place and apply it, you’ll find your way in 2018 easier than ever before. Grab a pen-and-paper, and try this.

Outline what you ACTUALLY want. Write it down and be specific. “losing weight” isn’t enough. How much weight do you want to lose? By when? “I want to lose a stone by March 2018” is MUCH better than “lose weight.”

Write down the reasons why you’re currently a stone overweight – this one is MASSIVELY important as it allows you to be totally honest with yourself and your shortcomings. So many people will want to lose weight, but never actually ask what’s made them overweight in the first place? Ask yourself why this is the case – and be honest.

Eg. I rely on fast food too much. I opt for takeaways rather than cooking a meal. I don’t exercise as often as I used to. I’ve become a lot lazier and don’t go for walks in the evening anymore. I drink too much on the weekends and don’t feel up to doing much the next day etc.

What you’re doing with this exercise is outlining the areas in your life that you can change for the better. Self-awareness and an ability to give an honest reflection of things you can do better are great traits to have when it comes to furthering oneself in any way – but it’s uncomfortable to do, so we avoid it and procrastinate, ultimately carrying on doing the same stuff that’s made us overweight in the first place.

Set yourself a realistic time frame for achieving your goal – this should stem from point one, but now is the time to make this concrete. You’re aware of what you want, what you can do better, and now you’re going to tell yourself “I am going to do X task in X period of time”. Then - write down what needs to happen to make this a reality, point two should help, but be concrete here as well: “I will join a gym, exercise three times per week, follow a nutrition plan, make my own meals” etc. Remember, realistic. You’re not an athlete. Small but consistent changes go a long way.

Are you currently equipped to do everything that’s involved in achieving this goal? If not, you better do something or you’re lining up another New Year’s resolution flop. If you want to train, do you know how to? If you need a nutritional plan, can you do that yourself? Don’t take any chances here – to put yourself in a position where you simply can’t lose. Hire a professional to take care of these things for you. Maybe you need a trainer, or simply some nutritional coaching, and that’s fine. Think back to when you learned to drive, did you just jump in a car and start pressing stuff? Or did you hire someone to teach you? Which do you think would get you there faster? Guys – if you don’t know how to do something, don’t wing it, ask someone in the know!

I guarantee that if this system is applied, you’ll hit the New Year harder than ever before. For anyone who likes the sound of this, but needs help with anything - drop me a message on facebook (Synergy by Kevin Harkin) or send me an email [email protected]

Have a great Christmas everyone!