Don't wait until January 1st

January 1st. A new year; a new start. Right? Wrong. Why is it that come January 1 everyone makes all these promises to themselves, and then immediately say, "What I mean is I'll start the Monday after January 1." That Monday turns into the next one and then it's March and you still haven't made any gains.

I say, DON'T WAIT! Start now. Start implementing one or two of your healthier desires now. That way by the time January 1 comes around it's already a part of your routine, and if you've tried really hard you may have already formed a habit! Wouldn't that be the best way to start the new year? Perfecting what you've already started rather than starting what you've only been talking about?

Healthier starts don't need to be drastic. Start simple. Try starting every morning with a glass of water before you drink your coffee, milk, or juice. Maybe you'll realize you don't need as much of the others because the water actually satisfied your thirst, and now you can enjoy your drink rather than chug it. I drink a big glass of water first thing every morning before I even start making my breakfast/pre-workout snack.

It's simple really, the more you make healthy, conscious decisions early in the day, the more likely you are to continue that behavior throughout the day. If you start your day with a simple 20-30 minute workout you may decide to forgo the fast food and stop at the salad/food bar at the local grocery store because it's fresh in you head how hard you worked to burn those calories and make you body move.

I use to be one of those athletes that when my season ended I thought that from that day until January 1 I could eat anything I wanted, and as much of it that I wanted. I mean everyone waits until January 1 to start their "diets" right? Why should I care how I look and feel from October thru December? I'm suppose to feel bloated, lethargic, and have difficulty buttoning my pants aren't I?

NOT THIS YEAR!!

I have BIG goals and dreams for 2014. Instead of waiting until January to start implementing the road to success I've started NOW. While I will still be focusing on recovery for the next few weeks that doesn't mean that I should eat whatever gets passed by my eyes, nose, and mouth in the meantime. Nor does it mean that I only perform my scheduled workouts and forget about stretching, and all the physical therapy work I put into my hip flexor during this last training cycle. I sat down today and figured out a plan to meet my goals and how I'm going to incorporate that plan into my day. I'm human, so I don't expect this to go smoothly. I will likely make mistakes, but the idea is by January 1, these new routines of stretching and PT as well as my journey toward a healthier kitchen will be HABITS and my new year will already be on the path I want it to be rather than just starting to steer it in that direction!

Do yourself a favor, DON'T WAIT! Act now. Start small, and build on it. You'll thank yourself later, and so will your body!