2022: The year you finally make health & fitness a priority!

The new year has begun, and like most people I’m sure somewhere on your to do list for 2022 is health & fitness. In fact, I have a feeling it was on your list last year too…

We all know that this should be a top priority and we know that we feel better, look better and enjoy life more when we find the time for it. So why do we continue to put it off? Why do we continue to say, “I will start next Monday?” Why do we wait for the “New Year?”

As a health & fitness professional for 15 years, I know first-hand how the industry pushes quick fixes, the newest fads and all the fancy diets. This year, I’m challenging you to try something different.

STOP starting over. STOP putting it off. STOP thinking it will change.

This is the year you MAKE it change! 2022 is the year that you finally make a lifestyle change. It’s the year you put yourself first because you are ready, you are committed, and nothing is going to stand in your way to feel better.

Here is what we are going to do:

#1: The first step to this is working on your MINDSET. No, it’s not signing up for a gym or a fitness challenge or grocery shopping for the new diet you plan to start on Monday. The first step is getting your mind right. If you are not truly ready or committed, then whatever you plan on starting will not stick. You will be right back where you started - low energy, not feeling good and unhappy with it all. Take 10-15 min and ask yourself the following questions:

WHY do I want to make a change? WHY is it important to me? WHAT has worked before? WHAT do I enjoy doing? WHAT sacrifices am I willing to make to make this happen? When the going gets tough and you want to throw in the towel, how are you going to keep yourself going? What is going to push you forward when you want to give up? Write down your answers so you can revisit them often.

#2: Eliminate the all or nothing attitude. It is great when you first get started, but have you noticed how many times you stop because you CAN’T continue at that pace? If you find yourself once again starting over or being at a place where your health has taken a back seat, I recommend you change it up and do it differently this time. Start with walking - maybe just 20 min 2-3x per week. Do that for a couple of weeks, then increase it to 3-5x per week. When that has become a part of your routine, increase it to 30 minutes or more. There are no rules that say you have to work out hard core for an hour plus 7 days a week. What matters most over anything at all is that you do SOMETHING. That will always be better than doing nothing!

#3: When it comes to nutrition, let’s be honest here. We all know what to eat. We really do. We know that a homemade cooked meal is always better than a McDonalds cheeseburger. We know we need to decrease our sugar intake and focus more on good protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. We know this.

Instead of focusing on what you eat, I am going to challenge you on HOW you eat. In a fast-paced world where we are constantly running from one thing to another, have you ever noticed how quickly you eat your food? I would even bet that oftentimes you don’t even think about what you are eating. Between the mindless eating and how quickly you scarf down your food, these can be just as problematic as WHAT you are choosing to eat. It takes 20 minutes from the start of our meal for our brain to send out signals of fullness. When you eat slower, the food is broken down more in your mouth, allowing the saliva enzymes to breakdown food before it gets to the rest of the digestive system. This allows the digestive system to do less work and more effectively break down food. So, this time around, if you have been here before and you are once again starting over,

I encourage you to try something new. Turn your focus to HOW you eat and not WHAT you eat. Just like the exercise piece. Start there. Then, over time you can turn your focus onto what you eat.

#4: Planning is everything. Without a plan, you are very much planning to fail. Don’t just say you are going to work out, plan your workout. Don’t hope you are going to make good choices when it comes to nutrition, plan to make good choices. Don’t wish for your mindset to change, MAKE it change by planning how to change it. Yes, it may take you a little extra time to plan ahead, but if you really want to live better, feel better and thrive better, it will be worth the small amount of time needed.

#5: Stop focusing on what you didn’t do and focus on what you did do! So much of our energy is put into the guilt or frustration of the things we did not accomplish. All that does is hinder you from moving forward. Celebrate your wins. Even the small wins. The more you focus on the things you ARE doing the more you want to show up for yourself, the more you are proud of yourself! The easiest way to do this is to write one thing down every day that you are proud of. It can be as simple as getting out of bed or putting less cream in your coffee. But imagine if you found at least one thing per day to celebrate. Your confidence builds and your will to thrive increases day by day!

At the end of the day, making health & fitness a priority is NOT easy. But being unhealthy, feeling horrible, having low energy, and wishing it was different, is also NOT easy. So, choose your hard. Will you continue on the same path you have been the last couple of years, always pushing it to the next week, next month, next year OR, will you finally get up, put the plan together and MAKE it happen. It is your choice. However, remember this, no one regrets making the time, but almost everyone regrets NOT making the time.

Joan Campbell is a health and wellness expert and owner of JEM, a fitness, wellness and accountability center. She has been working as a personal trainer for 15 years and holds a degree in Kinesiology and numerous certifications including pre & postnatal, precision nutrition and kettlebell. Throughout the years, she has worked in many different settings including managing a large luxury gym. In 2019 as the pandemic began, she opened her own business focusing on working with women who needed the extra support and guidance to make health a priority in their life.