YOUR 2021 FITNESS PLAN!

We're living in very unusual times to say the least! With things being locked down, gyms closed, restaurants closed, theaters closed, travel being extremely restricted, our lives have been turned completely upside down. There is light at the end of the tunnel and I'm confident that 2021 will slowly see improvements to allow us to return to normal. But one undeniable fact is that this past year with so many people living sedentary lifestyles, has seen a lot of unhealthy weight gain. I personally know some people who've packed on 25 lbs or more this past year. Normally one's day is broken up by traveling to and from work, seeing friends and co-workers, walking from the train station to your work, going out for a quick coffee, etc. However now with everyone at home with the option of working in their pajamas and a fridge close by, it's far too easy to just reach in their all day long and grab snacks. People tell themselves that they'll just take a few bites, but I think we all know it ends up being far more than a few!

So what we need to do is change the way we do things at home. Like it or not, people are not going to go back to the office every day for a long time. So we need to change how we do things at home since that is our new normal for quite a while still. So what are some things we can do?

SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE!

That's right! Put it in the schedule. I use Google Calendar personally (I'm an android phone user) and I put EVERYTHING in there. It doesn't take much time and after a while you don't even think about it. Everything from workouts to meal times to snack times to grocery shopping and whatever else comes up. Does it seem obsessive? Perhaps at first, but it keeps things on track. You simple aren't allowed to snack or eat if it isn't on the schedule. Having snacks is necessary, but they need to be the right type and the right amount. If you actually sit down and figure out a reasonable amount of snacks to eat in a day, I'm sure you won't schedule it as an all day event! The same goes for your meals. Schedule them too and whenever possible, type in what you'll be eating. 

The next thing to schedule is some type of daily exercise. A brisk walk is ideal or perhaps some type of cardio exercise on a machine at home. This does not need to be particularly intense. Just something every day to 

1. Break up your day with something which is stress-relieving

2. Get you in the habit of daily exercise (like brushing your teeth)

3. And of course, raise your heart rate for some exercise.

And the last thing is to schedule some type of more intense exercise which is to be done two to four times per week. HIIT style workouts, circuit workouts, weight training, or martial arts and boxing workouts are some of the ideal choices here. Most fitness professionals now (including me) are offering online / virtual training to accommodate people during this time. I did it out of necessity, but there are many advantages actually. No travel time to and from the gym, location isn't an issue (I have a client in Vienna, Austria). You can also try doing it on your own. There are a number of online courses, Youtube channels, books, that can help with that. 

I won't go into specific workouts here. I've done that in the past on my Youtube and other social media channels. The whole point of this article is to drive home the point that to be successful with your fitness (or any other) goals, you must schedule things. I used a had written schedule book back then, but I used to schedule things when I was in school as well. It worked then and it works now. We will get through this tough time we're all going through now and if you follow this advice, you may come out of it better, stronger, and fitter than ever before!

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