As we start the New Year, I want to talk to you about annual planning. We do it here at the gym, and I’m sure you have an annual plan, too. It probably involves things like vacations, birthdays, major events with the kids, holiday gatherings and maybe even financial stuff.
But do you have a personal annual plan for your fitness?
“Work out regularly all year” is a good general plan. It’s simple, and if you stick to it, you’ll be fit and healthy. But you can break it down with some specifics and milestones. If you do, you’ll have things to work toward and accomplishments to celebrate. You’ll also add a little variety to the year to keep things fresh. You might even inspire someone close to you to be more active!
I’ll give you some ideas of things you might add to your annual plan for fitness:
- Do four outdoor workouts in the month.
- Work out X times per month to total X workouts in the quarter.
- Plan a weekend outdoor adventure trip free of motors.
- Bring a friend who could use support to a workout.
- Teach a family member how to pick something up safely.
- Try a new sport—like golf, swimming, archery, cycling or something else.
- Try to achieve a 10,000-step monthly average.
- Participate in a nutrition challenge or talk to a nutrition coach about food goals.
- Book a personal training session to work on a special skill.
- Sign up for a specialty program in an area of interest.
- Participate in a local fitness event—either for fun or as a competitor.
- Get a massage or consult a therapist to address a nagging issue.
- Focus on rest, recovery and stretching for 30 days straight and see what happens.
- Cut alcohol for a month.
These are just a few things to get you thinking. I bet you can come up with some great personalized activities you can add to your “fitness calendar.”
You can do this old school with a paper calendar tacked on the wall, or you can just enter stuff on your phone or laptop. Use the system that works best for organizing your important dates and events.
Here’s my New Year’s request for you: Add four things to the calendar right now—one per quarter. Challenge yourself or lob a few softballs across the plate—whatever you prefer. The point here is to get you thinking about a year of fitness and fun. I bet there’s something physical you’ve always thought of doing. Put it on the calendar!
Now add this every 90 days: “Meet with Coach to talk about my goals.” In those meetings, I want to find out what else you’ve put on your calendar so I can help you make a plan to accomplish everything. If we connect every quarter, I’ll be up to speed and can offer you the most support. I’ll also be the first to high-five you when you hit a milestone or cross something off your list.
January is the time to make this plan. Get some stuff on your calendar and let’s crush your goals this year!
Coach Bret
P.S. Is there something big on your 2023 calendar already? Reply and let me know what is!