New Year - how to sustain change to reach your goals by Tamara Akcay

The New Year is the time we often rethink our goals and plan for the year ahead. We often overlook ways to achieve our goals in a sustainable way which can sit alongside demands such as family and our careers.

How about this year, we think of the areas of growth we are aiming for to help us become an even better version of ourselves and to meet or even exceed our goals!

Let’s take an example a common goal of becoming fit and healthy. What comes to mind is getting a gym membership, shopping for new gym kit and healthy food right? Well, lets see things differently.

So ask yourself - who s this fit and healthy person I want to become in six months time? They should be loving their body by thinking of self-care, having in place an achievable morning and night routine to fit a persons lifestyle that’s going to benefit sleep, improve digestion and manage stress levels. This is all even more important that signing up to your dream gym membership or buying the latest Nike trainers!
That same person also needs to be aware that the more negative thoughts they have, which we all have at times, can take them further away from their goal. An example of this especially this time of year is “It’s too cold and dark to train”, “everyone else is fitter than me”, “It won’t last long”, “when I’ll lose five kilos then I’ll be able to join a gym”… These thoughts are here for a reason and we all have them but its important to recognise them for what they are, as barriers to your progress.

A new belief system needs to be implemented to help you sustain your commitment and focus on your goals. Just being more aware of why you are thinking the thoughts you are and not letting the self critic win is a big step to helping you exceed in the year ahead.

That’s how change operates, that’s how behaviour shifts, that’s how goals are reached! It’s a little deeper than going to the gym and counting macros and it’s so much more enriching and interesting!
Get in touch it would be great to here what your goals are for the year ahead and it would be great to see you at the gym at District where training your mindset is just as an important part of fitness as a 1000m on the rowing machine.

Tamara Akcay, Mindset and Crossfit coach @mindsetrxd and @districtfitness

Photo credit @yogaandphotograpy