It’s the end of January and most have scuppered there New Years Resolution, most fad diets and gym memberships, if not already, are about to crumble, why? Because in amongst this January noise, we’re led astray, misled information and given the wrong advice by the wrong people.
We at Burn It purposely avoid posting too much New Year New You Mumbo Jumbo in January, it’s such a noisy month for health and fitness and we see a lot providers, gyms and personal trainer’s jocking for position. So as the end of the month draws closer, here are our top reminders for anyone looking to embark on a New Health and Fitness journey, or even anyone already on a journey!
1. Delete your auntie Margaret from Facebook. That person on your Facebook who was selling Aloe Vera Shakes last week that is selling Juice Plus this week is NOT the right person to turn to for dietary or weight loss advice. Avoid Avoid Avoid, anyone who is unqualified in fitness and nutrition. We know it’s your favourite auntie, or your BFF at work but these creatures unfortunately are manipulative and often very convincing in their quest to make a quick quid from you’re inevitable, vulnerable, January mind-set. You would never take your car to a plumber to get fixed. Why risk your health with someone who is simply a sales rep for a dodgy “wellness” company? Don’t do it! Regardless of what photo-shopped before and after picture they show you or whatever claims they make, be clever. You know it won’t work, don’t waste your time and money!
Tip: Notice the pattern, these type of people all speak the same lingo and regurgitate the same information, wise up, unfollow them or better yet, eradicate them from your lives entirely! (Maybe not if it’s your favourite Auntie.)
2. Sack your PT! If your personal trainer or fitness provider is recommending any shitty shakes, you need to ask for your money back and find a new PT, they do not have the your best interests for health and fitness in mind, and are just out to make money. Whilst we will never stand in the way of someone earning a living, if you’re a Personal Trainer and need to sell your client a fad diet supplement, you should not be a personal trainer.
Tip: Question it! Ask why, what, where and when! Educate yourself on what your personal trainer is asking of you, we always tell our clients, why we’re asking what we’re asking. Fitness or Nutrition related.
3. Do it properly! In order to sustain-ably and safely lose weight and decrease body fat, you must burn more calories than you consume. You do however need to consume, so low calorie diets are not big and are not clever. We know, we know, it’s the same old boring answer of how to shift a few pounds, but it’s the truth, if there was a magic pill or magic wand there wouldn’t be fat folk in the world, you know this, we know this, so let’s stop wasting effort and energy on fitness plans, diets and systems we know, just won’t work. Find a new approach!
Tip: Educate yourself, do some research. Any investment you ever or will ever make requires some due diligence, you wouldn’t rush into investing in anything else without researching, so why not do some research before investing in your health? It’s the most important investment you’ll ever make.
4. Do what you enjoy. If you hate the gym, don’t feel you need to join the gym. If you hate the outdoors, get indoors! We seem to act like sheep when it comes to fitness, we try what we’ve always done or know. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got, if you’ve always got a cancelled Direct Debit at the gym come February, then don’t do it again in January! If you’ve tried it, and it didn’t work, don’t waste your time doing it again! Whilst we encourage to give everything your all and don’t give up, if tried the same approach every January for the last 10 years and still look and feel the same, stop! Mix it up.
Tip: Shop around, most fitness providers, including us, and gyms will offer a free trial. Go give it a bash, give it two bashes, try a new class, a new sport, a new running route. As we said above, mix it up!
5. Stay off f*****g Social Media! Ok so a pretty bold ask, but we are seeing a huge increase in people comparing themselves to fitness models on Instagram or being misled by a Z list celebrity. What you see on social media is a HUGELY filtered version of health and fitness. Not to detract from the hard work some models, bodybuilders or athletes put in when it comes to exercise and nutrition, they also likely have a chef, a nutritionist, a professional photographer, a makeup artist and a whole crew who with the right camera, at the correct angle and with the best filter, look how they look when they pop up on your timeline! So stop comparing yourself to someone who exercises for a living. We would all look our best if we were paid to exercise and eat food someone cooked for us.
Tip: The average person spends two hours per day on Social Media. Put your phone down! Try and substitute an hour, or even half of that time and go for a walk, a Burn It session, a gym class, a run. Do something active instead of looking at pictures of your friends cats on Facebook. You’ll feel better, sleep better, and you won’t miss that hour on your phone at all. You will literally have missed nothing important.
Lastly….Think beyond January, don’t think the here and now, don’t think the weekend. We’re all aware of how fast time passes. Think about Christmas… That’s right we said it, think about what kind of conversations you want to be having with your loved ones at Christmas. Think about what you would like to reflect on having achieved over the year, at the Christmas dinner table. Think long term and set yourself realistic and bitesize goals.
Whatever your New Year goals are, and whatever fitness provider you choose, we wish you the very best of luck on your journey!
