January has passed by a little too quickly for our liking, and maybe those resolutions/goals/wishes are starting to slide as well… Ben Lucus owner and co- founder of Flow Athletic has given us his tips to keeping them on track!
Set an Achievable Goal
This is rule number 1. If your goal is not achievable and if you have no way of measuring your success then it will be difficult to stick to your plan.
When setting yourself goal, remember to set something positive that will keep you motivated to keep training, saving etc.
If your goal is a big goal, ie. lose 20kg in a year, make sure that you set up little goals so that you can celebrate your milestones along the way. Having little wins is a good way to keep you on track to achieve the big goal.
To set an achievable goals follow the HARD goals formula. To achieve a goal it needs to be:
Heartfelt
Animated
Required
Difficult
Also make sure that you TRACK IT.
If you have specific goals, it makes sense to track your exercise, steps, diet and nutrition to keep you on track and to measure your results.
Fitness trackers such as the Apple Watch or STRIIV helps you track everything from food eaten to calories burned, how much sleep you are getting in real time, your heart rate and it even reminds you to take any medications/ supplements needed. Tracking these results will make a huge difference to people’s health, especially if they want to be aware of everything they are doing to improve their results.
Make a Plan
So you have decided to prepare for a marathon in 2018, save money, eat clean etc. Start doing your research and make yourself a plan to help you achieve it.
Having a plan and a purpose is a good way to keep you on track!
Have a Back Up Plan
You slept in, you had a busy day at work, you missed the gym, but all is well because you have a 10-15 minute session that you can quickly do at home so no matter what, you won’t break your perfect habit of moving your body every day.
Here is an example for you:
Do all of these exercises in succession and you will be doing 6 x rounds.
Start with 12 reps of each, then each round drop down by 2 x reps. So 12 reps, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
- Burpees- I like starting with burpees because they get your heart rate up and will wake you up pretty quickly! They also work your full body
- Air Squats
- Half Burpee
- Push Ups- knees or toes
- Crunches or Russian twists
- Alternate Lunges
If you have more time, then do around round of this workout but this time start at 2 reps and work your way up to 12
Avoid The ‘All of Nothing’ Approach
Resolutions are good for getting yourself on track to develop lifestyle change, but it’s a process, so you need to stick to it, even if you fail once or twice. Remember that if you have a slip up, that is not an excuse to give up on the entire goal.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you really want to make a change, stick to it.
Do Something You Love
Don’t love to run? No worries! Don’t love HIIT training? Also no problem.
If you’re bored of your 2017 workout routine, change it up and try something new. It is the New Year after all. We are spoilt for choice in Australia with so many ways to train, plus there are lots of fitness events on all the time. Training should be a celebration of what your body can do, not a punishment. Keep it fun!
In January and February we are hosting a Nightclub Spin and Flow After Dark silent yoga disco and it’s all in the name of PRIDE so many such you wear some colour and shine!
Also consider signing up to a fun run or an obstacle course so that you have something to train for.
ABOUT BEN LUCAS
Ben is the owner and co- founder of Flow Athletic, an incredibly successful yoga and fitness studio based in Paddington. It is now known worldwide and they have a lot of internationals coming in to try out their classes. He was also named one of the 2017 ‘Men of Influence’ by Men’s Style magazine.
Ben also came up with the innovative Flow After Dark silent yoga disco concept in 2016, which has now held 9 sold out events across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. He has also created the Nightclub Spin, Sofa 2 Surf and 30 Days Clean concepts which are always huge hits and generate a lot of interest within the media.
In 2015 Flow Athletic won the Telstra Small Business of the Year Award and last year he was also profiled in the Optus business feature
Prior to getting into the fitness industry, Ben was a professional NRL player for the Cronulla Sharks and a number of other teams. After finishing his stint with the NRL, he went on to own three very successful personal training studios and during that time he also turned to Ultra Endurance running.
In the space of 5 years, he ran 35 marathons and 5 ultra marathons all over the world. Due to his interest in running, he then went on to train up 101 non- runners to run and complete their first marathon! A challenge he said he probably won’t take on again, however as a result Sofa2Surf was born.
Instagram: here
Flow Athletic website: here
The point about “Make a plan” is the key to achieving your fitness goals. You need to have some sort of direction or guide line to follow to stay on track and to measure your progress. Not to say you can’t make adjustments as you go along. Great article.
Would like to know more about the Flow After Dark concept.