Weight Training is one of the Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions!

Bev McCallum Certification to the Fitness Pros is the go-to for weight trainer and other fitness leader certification courses in Dawson Creek, BC and communities across northern BC and Alberta. Bev offers some online workshops approved by Canadian Fitness Education Services (C.F.E.S.), and she would be happy to schedule courses and workshops in your community in the following areas:

• Weight Trainer
• Fitness Knowledge 
• Aquatic Instructor
• Fitness for Older Adults*
• Group Fitness Instructor
• Personal Trainer
• CEC Renewal credits and workshops
• Nutrition Workshop

*There will also be a Group Fitness Instructor course in Fort St John, and Fitness for Older Adults with a water practicum and land practicum in Tumbler Ridge and Fort Nelson. Keep an eye on my website for details.

Making a New Year’s Health/Fitness Resolution Is Easy…but What About Keeping It?

Sometimes a health and fitness New Year’s resolution is to continue with a plan already in place. But more often, people choose to set new goals, to move away from unhealthy patterns toward new and healthy ideals. Close the gap between where we are and where we want to be – valuable ideals for sure!

Why then do only 8% of people keep their New Year’s Resolutions? Too much, too soon can be the culprit, resulting in frustration at best, and injury at worst when people get overzealous about making changes overnight.

To accomplish some truly healthy and realistic fitness goals in 2021, why not plan to work with a Certified Fitness Professional? Or become one, if that has been a dream. The recommended way to achieve goals, including New Year’s resolutions is to apply the S.M.A.R.T. principal.

That is, set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based. No more fuzzy, ambiguous resolutions that drift away on the first January snowstorm. So, instead of saying, ” I will try to reduce, if not eliminate sugar from my diet,” you can move beyond trying by breaking the goal down into specific steps such as I will cut sugar in half in all recipes, cut down to 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in my coffee, substitute with honey and so on for a set period of time.

It is about clearly defining what reducing/eliminating sugar will look like for you over a period of time. And it might even help to document how the gradual reduction in sugar affects your energy level!

Losing weight and getting more active are two of the top resolutions made every year. Seems even with the unveiling of the new Canadian food guide, everyone is looking at eating better, and that can easily be broken down into SMART goals.

But what about getting active? Where to start?

Weight Training, including heavy lifting, is ever popular as one of the top five New Year’s resolutions, for women and men. Here are some tips on how to move these resolutions into the realm of highly achievable goals.

1. If you are new to weight training or have been away from it for 12 weeks or more, you should start as a beginner. Start by lifting light and include full body: 2 back, a chest, a shoulder, some kind of leg, and some kind of core.
2. If time permits, you can then add a tricep and a bicep: 1 set of 12-20 reps; after 6 to 8 weeks, you can either boost up the weight or the number of sets to 3 sets of 12 reps.
3. Utilize HIIT (high-intensity interval training), as it is an evidence-based fitness training system that increases your heart rate and burns more fat in less time than conventional training.
4. Remember to be kind to yourself and be patient. You likely won’t see a lot of gains in your physique until after 3 continuous months of training.
5. What WILL happen in a short time is you will start reducing your risk of osteoporosis, improve your mood, improve your posture, burn more calories, reduce back pain, and more!

Get lifting, as you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Decide what kind of goals are realistic yet challenging, and motivate yourself with the help of a training partner and/or personal trainer.

For more amazing ideas on how to boost your fitness and health in 2021, get in touch with Bev McCallum.