Chew on This

Happy Day After Christmas--

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed the fantastic snow. We are running a regular class schedule this week with the exception of the 6 PM class on Friday. That is one is canceled for our Holiday Party at Macho's North. And on Saturday, we will be gathering to set some 2017 goals and put some milestones and checkpoints in place to help us get there. It would be easy to stay in holiday mode and a let another week slip by without good nutrition choices or your regular workouts, but let me encourage you to rise above the easy option and find your way back to a solid routine. Get a head start by getting back on track now. Now, for the real purpose of this post...

Now is the time to start thinking about what you want to accomplish in 2017 and let yourself DREAM BIG. Don't let past failures or fear steer you toward thinking small. That is a big mistake and it is no way to go through life. What do you want your fitness to look like in 2017? What do you want to be able to accomplish that you've never been able to do before? Do you need to make some REAL changes to your health? I'm not just talking about losing 10 pounds or drinking less beer, though many of us could start there. I'm talking about making a shift that prioritizes your health in everything you do. What would that look like? It is this vision that propels us forward long after the new has worn off of our shiny New Year's Resolutions.

Yes, I know these kinds of goals make us uncomfortable. The alternative is setting a few SMART goals that last about 2 weeks then fade away. You find yourself in the same place a month from now with no discernible change...only a little more defeated. That is the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish. I'm asking you to think bigger. Go ahead and set your goals around the outcomes that you want to achieve; not the ones that you think you can achieve. You can do this because you have some secret weapons in your arsenal to improve your odds. You see, having the support of a community of like-minded people is one of major predictors of success in actually achieving (not just setting) your goals. I can't think of any group of people anywhere that I would rather have on my team than the Catacombs community. Share your goals with the community and harness the amazing power of their support. Next, enlist some accountability partners.  Find a couple of people that will invest a little more in you. Let them in on not just the goal, but the plan. Enlist a workout buddy for a monthly check in and course adjustment or work with a coach to develop a plan and keep you honest. 

Finally, along with a supportive community, another great predictor of success is consistency. There is no magic to accomplishing your goals and no shortcuts to sitting in and doing the work. So, set a consistency goal to go along with your performance-based goal. I call this one the "showing up goal" and it is critical to every other goal you set. When measurable progress toward your big goal is small, you will know you are still on track by hitting your "showing up" goal. Write it down and hit the mark every single week. 

Okay, that was a lot for a Monday morning, but I wanted you all to have something to chew on this week. Enjoy the last week of 2016 and let's do some great things together in 2017.