4. Figure Out Your Drive<\/span><\/h2>\nEveryone is driven by something and before working out what intentions you\u2019d like to set it\u2019s worth figuring out what drives you. For example, some people are motivated by how other people are performing and thrive on the competition. If that\u2019s you, then using a fitness tracker or an app to follow your mates is the way to go. Other people need an event to keep them focused. Knowing you have a long distance race booked in 9 months time will certainly keep you motivated. Whereas others are driven purely by the fact exercise makes them feel great and they do it for the endorphin hit.<\/p>\n
This year I have set the intention to make time for strength training. Mainly because I\u2019ve taken on a bit of sod it you only live once challenge later on this year and I know that in order to be fit enough, strong enough, and to reduce the risk of injury, strength training will benefit me massively. In the past I would have set this as a resolution and attacked it full throttle, resulting in me completely knackering myself and it impacting other things going on in my life. Yes, I got the results I was after, but it didn\u2019t make me feel any happier, and it literally consumed me. This time I\u2019m doing things differently. I\u2019m tuning into a more intuitive way of thinking when it comes to movement and this works so well with intention setting. Take today for example. I had strength training on my to do list (the intention was there). However, the day completely ran away with me, things crop up unexpectedly, right? In the past I would have forced myself to do that strength training no matter what. Today, instead, I have listened to my body and thought you know what I ran a long run yesterday, had a busy day today, strength training can wait. The intention was there, but sometimes it just doesn\u2019t work out that way, and that\u2019s fine. I can do it another day. No guilt, no beating myself up, no shame. And because my drive to do it is still there, I know that I will<\/em> do it when I can.<\/p>\n5. Do It For You<\/span><\/h2>\nWhen you set your intentions for the year they need to be for you. Not anyone else. You. Which is easier said than done, especially at this time of year when your social media feeds are likely packed with fitness influencers telling you what they think you should be doing. And these people do their jobs really well, as their posts can be hugely influential, after all they\u2019re the experts, right?<\/p>\n
But remember, these are your intentions, your goals, your achievements that you want to reach. And whilst I am not deterring you from getting help or seeking advice from people who are trained in fitness and who really know their stuff, I also feel that we can be drawn into this world a little too much. When actually we should be going with our gut, listening to our body, and not forgetting the intentions we originally set.<\/p>\n
Just because your mate, someone you follow on social media, some random person you\u2019ve seen working out in the gym, is lifting heavier weights, running faster times, not breaking out in a sweat, doesn\u2019t mean you are failing. This is your journey you\u2019re following, not theirs.<\/p>\n
And while I\u2019m on this topic, please also don\u2019t just set intentions because it\u2019s January and everyone else is and you\u2019re feeling the pressure that you should too. If the time isn\u2019t right and if you\u2019re not quite feeling it, don\u2019t force it. You will know when the right time is. Just trust the process.<\/p>\n
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6. Make Life Easy For Yourself<\/span><\/h2>\nI am all for making things as easy as possible. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m not work shy, nor do I like to take short cuts, but if there\u2019s a way to make a goal more easily achievable I think it\u2019s worth exploring the options. This is about helping yourself. Helping yourself to see through your intentions and to save yourself time in the process.<\/p>\n
Here are some ideas for you:<\/p>\n
\n- Get Your Clothes Ready<\/strong> \u2013 Planning on going for a run in the morning? Check what the weather\u2019s going to be like and lay out suitable clothing right next to you bed so that it\u2019s the first thing you see when you wake up. Going to the gym? Pack a bag ready with all your kit. Line your trainers up at the door. Do anything that\u2019s going to spur you on to make this happen. Set intentions and see them through.<\/li>\n
- Prepare Your Space<\/strong> \u2013 Similar to getting your clothes prepared, if you intend to workout at home the next day, lay your mat out the night before, so that your space is ready for you in the morning. Get your weights out, pause the workout vid at the exact point you want to start, do absolutely anything that is going to much it that much easier for you to get started.<\/li>\n
- Plan Your Workout<\/strong> \u2013 Whilst I\u2019m not a big fan of having things absolutely set in stone, I do think it\u2019s important to have a bit of a plan. Think in advance about the type of exercise you want to do that week, how many days you want to exercise, and the times you could fit it in. By knowing when your free times are, you can be more flexible with when you exercise.<\/li>\n
- Find An Accountability Partner<\/strong> \u2013 If you struggle to motivate yourself, it\u2019s time to get someone else on board who can not only motivate you, but who you can also help motivate. Having someone who you are accountable to makes you much more likely to stick to the intentions you have set. For example, if you have agreed with a friend that you are going to go for a run in the morning, you are more likely to show up because you don\u2019t want to let your friend down. Whereas if you were running on your own, it is far easier to come up with an excuse and talk yourself out of it, because no one else is depending on you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
7. Planning Is Key<\/span><\/h2>\nI am someone who needs organisation in my life in order to thrive. I feel in control if I have a list in front of me. On my phone I have a to do list for each day, a food shopping list, a weekly meal plan list, a weekly exercise list, a books I want to read list, you name it I\u2019ve got a list for it. No matter what intentions you set for the year ahead, a certain level of planning is recommended. Especially if, like me, you can be prone to procrastination.<\/p>\n
I know how much I can fanny about when the tough stuff needs doing. I\u2019ll have a difficult piece of writing to do for work or I\u2019ve planned a run but it\u2019s raining, and suddenly I\u2019ll have this massive urge to put a clothes wash on, do the dishes, empty the bins, scroll through social media, order random stuff online, anything to put off the more difficult task.<\/p>\n
Plan your week ahead, your day, your month even. Where would you like to be fitness wise in say a months time, 6 months time. What obstacles might be in your way, for example do you have a holiday coming up where realistically you know full well time around a pool with cocktail in hand is going to trump hitting the hotel gym. Be realistic with your time and be kind to yourself. This isn\u2019t about running yourself ragged, these intentions are here to improve your life in some way or to make you feel happier. Enjoy the process just as much as the result.<\/p>\n
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8. Rest<\/span><\/h2>\nNever underestimate the power of a rest day. If there\u2019s one thing my new smart watch has shown me, it\u2019s that the rest and recovery are just as important, if not more important, than the days I exercise. After intense exercise our bodies need time to recover in order to function at their best and to continue functioning at their best. Without these essential rest days we risk injury and burn out, and then we\u2019re never going to reach those fitness goals. When you set intentions, especially if they are fitness related ones, it doesn\u2019t always have to be about the active part. It is just as worthy to jot down that you intend to rest more than it is to say that you intend to exercise more.<\/p>\n
Sleep is also another hugely important factor to consider when thinking about achieving your fitness goals this year. And perhaps if you are someone who doesn\u2019t get the best quality sleep, this should be an intention you focus on before you consider any fitness intentions. I realise it isn\u2019t quite as easy as setting an intention to get more sleep. If only it was that easy! But what you can do is to set intentions that will aid sleep, such as putting your phone away earlier than you would usually, not exercising too late at night, or cutting down your caffeine intake.<\/p>\n
When your body is rested, not only will it perform better, but you will feel much more energised and up for it. Which is going to make setting and achieving your intentions a hell of lot easier.<\/p>\n
9. Make It Fun
<\/span><\/h2>\nThere is absolutely no point doing something if it isn\u2019t fun in my opinion. Force yourself to do something you hate, you\u2019re going to give it up, no question. Hate getting up early every day and forcing yourself to do yoga? The result is you resenting the very thing that once bought you joy. Can\u2019t stand running in the rain? Every step ends up being a chore. Force yourself to do anything and you lose the passion, the love, the drive to success. Exercise becomes something you have to do, rather something you want to do. And that\u2019s miserable.<\/p>\n
If you have set the intention to include more movement into your life, think about what this actually means. Movement can come in so many different forms. It doesn\u2019t just have to be a sport, a gym workout, or a strenuous activity. We move our bodies when we do the gardening, when we dance in the kitchen making dinner, when we chase the dog around the garden, when we walk to the shops. Movement can be slow, it can be fast, it can be full on sweaty, or it can be calm and chilled. Make it work for you and most importantly make sure it is something that puts a smile on your face. In fact, do you know what, there\u2019s another one for you\u2026 this year I intend to have more fun!<\/p>\n
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10. Failure Is Success<\/span><\/h2>\nFailure is so often painted in a negative light, when in fact it is through our failings that we reach success. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, \u201cFailure is success in progress\u201d and if someone as clever as him believes that, then I reckon we can totally get on board with it too. You see, every time we fail, we learn something new. We become more resilient, we learn to adapt and change, to try something different to see if that works. And the result is that not only are we likely to gain a better outcome overall, but because the journey has been longer it also means that much more to us knowing our hard work and perseverance has paid off.<\/p>\n
When we set intentions we already accept that we won\u2019t be obsessively strict with ourselves, because often the intentions are purposefully vague. For example, if we set the intention to walk more, we haven\u2019t really set a bar as such. Walking more each day could be achieved by as little as 200 more steps a day, walking to the shops for a pint of milk, taking yourself out for a lunchtime walk, or as much as going for a long hike every weekend. That\u2019s the best bit about intentions; we get to choose. And if something crops up, meaning we haven\u2019t managed to walk as much that week, it\u2019s no biggie. We simply accept the failure, learn from it, think about why it is we haven\u2019t managed to walk more that week, and then work out how things can change for the next week so that we can fit it in. And that right there is growth mindset at it\u2019s very best.<\/p>\n
Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\nThe very act of sitting down and setting intentions is a joyous thing. Give yourself some time to truly think about what you intend to achieve this year and jot those intentions down. Start with the sentence opener, \u2018This year I intend to\u2026\u2019 and then list your intentions. If you\u2019re more of a visual person, you could try creating a vision board instead using cut outs from magazines, photos you have taken, or drawing your own pictures that depict your intentions for the year ahead.<\/p>\n
Here are a few of my own intentions to help inspire you:<\/p>\n
This year I intend to\u2026<\/p>\n
\n- Step out of my comfort zone and do the things that scare me.<\/li>\n
- Believe in myself more.<\/li>\n
- Compare myself less to others.<\/li>\n
- Have faith in what my body is capable of.<\/li>\n
- Write for fun, not just work.<\/li>\n
- Continue with my sobriety.<\/li>\n
- Lean into my creative side more accept that doing is better than perfection.<\/li>\n
- Embrace the YOLO moments.<\/li>\n
- Exercise for fun not necessity, all movement is good movement.<\/li>\n
- Learn more about the things I love \u2013 language, nature, walking.<\/li>\n
- Make time for reading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The list could go on. What\u2019s important to note however, and what marks intentions out as different to resolutions is that I will not become obsessed by these. These are not set in stone. They are not waiting to be broken. To make me feel bad when I fail. Because you can\u2019t fail with these. They are simply there, on a list. A list that I can refer back to and remind myself of the things that matter to me. The things I intend to do.<\/p>\n
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