New Year, New Me – How to Set Yourself Up for Success in 2023!

Happy New Year from the team at Coach Mark Carroll! Read the latest blog from our Head of Nutrition, Sheridan Skye…

2023 is fast approaching, so we can officially roll out the red carpet to the New Year, New Me messages. Of course, people hate the whole ‘new year, new me’ messaging (just open your Instagram, and you will see). While I am certainly not an advocate for waiting to take action on any type of goal, I am also a realist! Being a realist means that sometimes, people gain a lot of motivation from a new week or the start of a new year. This is because you stimulate the dopamine receptors in your brain when you set a New Years resolution to get stronger or lose a few kilograms. This creates the motivation to change, and the motivation to change can make people take BIG action. Big action leads to small wins that accumulate into momentum.

Here at Coach Mark Carroll we are huge fans of MOMENTUM! 

Why? 

Momentum is one of the predictors of client success that Mark and I have noticed over decades of coaching clients. In fact, one of my favourite quotes is ‘motivation drives momentum at the start of a fitness journey. Momentum leads to long-term success. Get your client momentum, and you will also see them achieve success. I mean, think about it for a moment, how ‘motivated’ do you feel when you put in so much time and effort and don’t achieve any results? It’s not fun, is it? Momentum is critical for a health and fitness journey because momentum creates confidence! So if you have set yourself a new years goal to get in the best shape of your life, we aren’t here to judge – in fact, we support you!

But it’s important to set goals strategically and well-thought-out because setting goals that are too big or unrealistic can lead to disappointment and frustration. 

In this blog, we’ll talk about how to set realistic fitness goals for the New Year that will help you reach your goals.

Step One: Before setting any fitness goals, you should look honestly at your current fitness level and what you can do. This will help you figure out where you might need to put more effort and give you a starting point as you move towards your goals. For example, many of our clients need help to hit their nutrition goals. If this is the area you have identified as an area you’d like to improve, focus your efforts on nailing this area before using precious energy on 1%ers like meal timing. 

Step Two: Set SMART goals which are specific (or clear), measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely (have a deadline). 

For example, instead of saying, “I want to lose weight,” you could say, “I want to lose 10 pounds in the next three months by working out at least 30 minutes per day, four-five days a week and eating a healthy, balanced diet”. This, of course, can get even more specific in our programs, where we teach you exactly how many calories and macronutrients to achieve your goal. Whether that’s to lose fat, maintain or gain. Either way, this goal is specific (losing 10 pounds), measurable (keeping track of your weight loss and exercise), attainable (losing 1-2 pounds per week is a healthy and sustainable rate), relevant (it addresses a specific health or fitness concern), and time-bound (it has a precise end date).

Step Three: Make a plan and break your goals into smaller steps. After you’ve decided on your overall fitness goals, you should make a plan to help you reach them. This could mean breaking your goals into smaller, more manageable steps, setting weekly or monthly goals, and finding ways to track your progress (or small wins, as Mark puts it). 

For example, if your goal is to add 20kg to your back squat, you might start by aiming for an increase of 2.5kg over a four-week training block. By breaking your goals down into smaller steps, you can make them feel more doable and stay motivated as you work towards your ultimate goal.

Step Four: Find ways to be accountable to yourself. When it comes to fitness goals, it’s easy to lose motivation or get off track, especially if you’re trying to make big changes. Finding ways to hold yourself accountable can help you stay on track. One of the best ways our clients create accountability is through connecting with other like-minded people in our female-only and male-only Facebook groups. 

Step Five: Be adaptable and ditch the ‘all or nothing’ mentality. Getting in the best shape of your life is not linear, and you’ll probably have ups and downs along the way. If you’re not making the progress you want, you might want to look at your goals and plans again to figure out what’s holding you back. You may have set a goal that is unrealistic in the current life phase you are in. You could reassess what feels like a more manageable goal and start from there. Don’t judge yourself too harshly. Lastly, it’s essential to be kind to yourself and remember that changing your fitness level and habits in a way that lasts takes time. 

To wrap up this blog, I want to thank you for your support over 2022 and beyond. Mark’s vision has always been clear – ‘deliver world-class results and nurture a community of like-minded individuals who support each other along the way’. Without you guys, this community wouldn’t be what it is today, and we could not do it without each and every one of you in our corner. So have a safe New Year, have fun, enjoy yourself, and we will see you on the other side of 2023. 

Yours in Health, 

Sheridan Skye. 

Head of Nutrition. 

IG: @sheridanskyefit