Welcome 2020—Let’s make it a good one
By Elise Oberliesen for Longmont Magazine
Starting a new year is one thing—but we just started a new decade. Welcome to 2020—it’s going to be a big year and we’re here to keep you on track so you turn potential into reality—especially when it comes to your health. Here we will tackle how the body mind connection helps you stick to your new year’s resolution. Local experts share tips that help you stay focused for the long haul—as in that life journey of yours—not just the next three hundred and fifty-ish days left in 2020. So let’s get started building healthy habits instead of quick-fix fads that drain your wallet.
Kristy Neary helps inspire a group to get moving at Training for Warriors. (Tim Seibert/Longmont Magazine)
Did you know?
If you need some motivation on your New Year’s resolution, you’re not alone. According to WalletHub.com, New Year’s resolutions tank for about 80 percent of Americans by February. The good news? It’s still January–you have plenty of time to extinguish bad habits and reach your goals.
Losing weight no longer tops the list of New Year’s resolutions. Instead, more exercise (54 percent) takes the No. 1 spot, followed by eating healthier, (51 percent) according to WalletHub.com. However, if you do both, deductive reasoning suggests that weight loss generally follows.
Get your mind set
Why is it so hard to change our habits? We caught up with Longmont-based Hypnotic Coach Zolita Grant, M.S. to find out what gives. Grant teaches a New Year’s Resolution workshop that helps people unravel the mental minutia that holds them back from achieving their goals. She says the big reason why people don’t hit their goals has more to do with their mental blocks.
“My class is about your mindset and how you can take charge of that mindset so you can achieve those goals,” Grant said. “I find using coaching and hypnosis is like dynamite for success.”
During the class, Grant takes people through the process of identifying mental blocks using journaling exercises before hypnotizing the group of 10 to 20 people. And it includes a workbook to take home.
“When you go through a group hypnotic session it’s very powerful,” Grant said.
She calls it “group soup,” and said during group hypnosis, “it’s like the consciousness of the group connects and it makes it a more powerful experience.”
Just spending a few minutes on the phone with Grant, her motivating words and positive energy convinced me how much power our thoughts hold—and how thoughts can translate into success or failure.
After the group session, her clients can decide if they want more sessions that include coaching. When people work with a coach, Grant said it helps add accountability. It also helps to attach dates to goals because now you are working toward something more concrete.
If you think you can be successful, chances are, you will. Grant says the mind is one of most powerful tools—but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to master the mind—it takes practice and mental awareness, she said.
Get moving at a boutique style gym
Working out in a team environment gives you accountability. (Tim Seibert/Longmont Magazine)
“A body in motion … stays in motion.” — Newton’s First Law of Motion.
Just get moving so you can keep moving—and burn off all those holiday calories. It’s that simple. Really.
Want to claim your inner warrior while deleting a few pounds? Maybe it’s time to train at a boutique-style gym where it’s more than just intense physical training. Kristy Neary, owner and head coach at Training for Warriors (TFW) in Longmont, not only helps her clients stake a claim in their physical bodies—but she also teaches them how to strengthen their mental muscles too.
“We’re all about fitness, discipline, consistency, and safety,” Neary said.
What’s different about TFW is that during each class, you work as a group. That means everyone is striving together as a team. It’s that kind of connection that helps people serve a larger purpose—and also realize their full potential—as they cheer each other on.
But it’s not always about winning. Neary reminds us that failure is part of life—and there is no escaping it.
“Failure is necessary—it will happen. Move on,” she said.
During classes, Neary gives pep talks about how to handle failure and why it’s so important to never quit on your goals and dreams—especially three weeks into the new year.
“Don’t look at a failure as one and done. There’s no end to failure, if you keep moving, it’s a process and you will get past those points of failure,” Neary said.
For example, when martial artists finally earn their black belt, it’s not because they made no mistakes—it’s because they didn’t quit, she said.
Coaches at TFW help clients build strength, lose fat and gain muscle through a series of drills that include a variety of movements.
“Drills include a variety of movements ranging from warm-ups, core work, heavy resistance training, speed and agility, heart rate metering, flexibility, and stamina,” Neary said.
Coaches are trained and certified so they can help clients claim their personal “shred zone”—or simply feel their personal best.
Whether you purchase punch cards loaded with five, 10 or 20 visits, Neary said the average cost per class is between $14 and $22.
Traditional gyms work wonders too
Maybe your workout style is more traditional: A no-frills regular gym with access to free weights, cardio machines and some classes—and you’re good to go. Traditional gyms with a wide range of hours, from early morning to late night make it even easier to fit exercise into your life. And the monthly payment is usually budget friendly.
Even more traditional style gyms offer group class or training that can help you stick it out through the new year and beyond. (Photo courtesy Gold’s Gym Longmont)
Bo Stohler, general manager at Gold’s Gym in Longmont, Loveland, Cheyenne, said it’s easier to stick to a New Year’s resolution when you make connections to real people at the gym
At Gold’s, they offer regular fitness classes, like BODYPUMP™, with weights, and Team Training, which incorporates intense HITT (high intensity interval training) workouts, to more traditional one-on-one personal training.
“We believe if you can connect with a trainer right away, the likelihood of you falling off is less likely,” he said.
For some people, group classes create a sense of community which keeps them coming back for more—year after year, because they want to stay connected to their friends and trainers.
“When you find a connection in the gym it helps establish that fitness routine you’re longing for,” Stohler said, adding that plenty of studies back this idea.
Want to stay on track with your resolutions? Consider a 12-week fitness challenge. Why? Because it sets you up with built-in personal accountability, he added.
Another way to stay motivated in your fitness affairs is to try new things. Mix it up: if treadmills are your main go-to machine, step outside your comfort zone and experiment with a new cardio endeavor.
“People might quit in three weeks because the treadmill starts to get old,” he said. “Try the rower or supersets with multiple exercises.”
Consider combination moves like burpees, one-arm dumbbell rows and box step-ups, to spice up your fitness routine.
Also search the web for healthy snacks and meals. Stohler keeps peanut butter protein balls on hand so he can grab them in the morning for a quick nutritious meal.
New Year’s Resolution Workshop
Zolita Grant will hold two New Year’s Resolution workshops.
WHEN: Sat., Jan. 25, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; and Wed., Jan. 29, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: 200 Lincoln St.,Longmont Cost: $57
Reserve your spot today by calling (303) 834-5040.
