I’d an interesting conversation with one of the Semi Private members at the Fitness Society this morning, where she told me of a target of her brothers.

To retire from farming when he has hit one million cows milked…

To be fair he will have more than done his bit for the world’s milk supply by then (the attached pic is an indicator of how many cows I expect to milk in my own lifetime). Also he has things lined up to do when that aspect of his farming career is over.

Unfortunately a lot of people have a similar idea about their fitness program. But actually end up quitting before they hit their target.
So if you’re someone who has set goals and gotten excited, only to feel frustrated a few weeks later, here’s some tips to help you get and stay fit for 2022 and beyond:
1. Look at your identity: If you set fitness targets, that’s great. But beyond that you need to develop your identity as someone who looks after your health and enjoys doing so – not someone who just shoots for targets. For example if you do hit your targets but they are to do something like go on a holiday, you’ll be likely to revert back to old habits if you haven’t worked on your identity.
2. Think Maintainable and Doable: If you take on too many habits at once and always seem to end up packing it in having bitten off more than you can chew, think Maintainable and Doable. If you’re attempting to create a habit you can’t see yourself maintaining for more than 6 months, let it go. The process of getting results may be slightly slower but they will last far longer.
3. Remember recovery: You’ll need to train consistently and dial in your nutrition. But don’t neglect recovery. This includes everything from sleep, to stress management, making sure you’re eating enough, to taking a break – if needed.
4. Have a structured training prog: To get results but not beat you up at the same time. Remember it’s all about the long – game!

Remember when you’re starting out your fitness journey playing the long game is important and while short term results are great, in 10/20 years’ time you will want to still be very active physically and if it’s something you’ll want to be able to do, be fit enough to keep moving until the cows come home!