The New Year is here and for many that means a time of reflection, sense of renewal, and the opportunity to re-set personal goals for the next 12 months.
According to a YouGov Poll, approximately 25% of Americans who made 2022 New Year’s resolutions say they set a goal to live a healthier life, focusing on personal improvement, losing weight, and exercising.
Under Armour knows that even the most well-planned New Year’s resolutions can be hard to keep by the middle of the month, when “Quitters’ Day” thinking starts to creep in.
Quitters Day is the second Friday in January when people are most likely to quit their resolutions and revert to old habits and routines.
To help those who want to go the distance with their goals and strive for more in 2022, Under Armour tapped a few of their trainers to get their thoughts on how to maintain motivation and the Focused Performer mindset in January and beyond.
UA’s very own Victoria Brown, Emma Lovewell, and Marquan Jones shared with us their recommendations for overcoming the urge to quit, keeping a focused mindset, habits, rest and recovery.
Looking for more ways to get over the mid-January hump, Under Armour has the performance gear and digital support to keep you moving all year long.
From hitting the gym in style with the latest from Project Rock to logging miles with UA’s Real-Time Form Coaching in MapMyRun (personal run coach, anyone?) Under Armour is committed to empowering athletes in 2022.
Check out tips from our trainers below and head to UA.com for our freshest gear for the New Year.
VICTORIA BROWN
What do you think about this concept of Quitters Day and people losing sight of their fitness goals so early in January?
I think goal setting is super important, but I think we have to be mindful to do it in a way that sets us up for success.
If we take steps to set realistic goals, we likely have a better shot of keeping our promises to ourselves beyond Quitter’s Day.
How important is it to have a mental game plan for your physical goals?
I think it is the most important step in the goal-setting process. There is power in knowing you are going to have days when you are motivated to show up and crush your goals, and days where it feels like the hardest possible thing to achieve.
Granting yourself grace to know that those emotions are normal, and part of the process, hopefully, allows you to push through the harder days, and not be too hard on yourself when just showing up is a challenge.
How do you think about New Year’s Resolutions? Do you find them helpful?
I typically find we are most successful when we set more short-term goals. I find setting them in chunks of three-month intervals works best for me.
From there, I break down the goals into bite-size pieces and get clear on how I can slowly move the needle forward over time. Our goals can seem daunting and out of reach otherwise.
However, when we set smaller benchmarks to hit along the way, we tend to gain more confidence in our abilities and strive to keep pressing on.
Ultimately, yes, set New Year’s Resolutions, but don’t stop there. Break your big goals down and take on each challenge, day by day.
What advice would you give someone who has a mental block because their Resolutions never stick?
Think outside of the box! There is no such thing as a bad workout! We have this idea ingrained in us that in order to be successful we have to show up for our fitness goals for an hour or 45 minutes each session, and it just isn’t the case.
You can get a great workout in 20 minutes if that’s all you have time for, or all you can mentally take for the day. I would also say to adapt an “up until now” mindset.
Just because your Resolutions didn’t stick in the past doesn’t mean it always has to be that way. It has been that way, up until now, but you are responsible for how the story unfolds moving forward.
Start where you are, don’t be hard on yourself, and keep stepping- every day you will get a little closer to your goals.
“Real change is found in our process, the habits we create around our processes, and in the journey’s we take to achieve all that we set out to do.
I think if we focus on being consistent, we have the power to make it wherever we are trying to go. Consistency is paramount.”- Victoria Brown
EMMA LOVEWELL
What do you think about Quitters Day, and what would you say to someone struggling to keep their New Year’s resolution?
I like to remind people (and myself) to not be so hard on ourselves. If you miss a day, it’s okay. Just start back up again.
Life happens. Things come up, and that’s okay. If we beat ourselves up whenever something goes wrong, we might not even try. So, if you are not active on January 14th, that’s fine. I’ll see you again on the 15th!
What is one habit – or mindset shift – that helps you stay focused on your goals?
Flexibility. Sometimes you create an idyllic routine, and then after three days, you realize it’s not sustainable. So, change the routine. Be flexible. Find something that you actually enjoy, otherwise you won’t do it.
“Sometimes you create an idyllic routine, and then after three days, you realize it’s not sustainable. So, change the routine. Be flexible. Find something that you actually enjoy, otherwise, you won’t do it.”- Emma Lovewell
What role does motivation/ inspiration play in your health and fitness journey?
It plays a huge role. I’m just like everyone else and lose motivation sometimes. I inspire and motivate people for a living, and there are even moments where I’m not taking my own advice, even though I know I should. It always comes back to my WHY. And if my WHY isn’t important enough, I probably won’t do it.
MARQUAN JONES
How do you balance having ambitious goals and expectations for yourself and your fitness career, with your body’s recovery needs? What about your mental recovery?
It’s important to have ambitious goals with small stepping-stones. For example, if you want to lose a total of 30 pounds, understand that it’s not going to happen overnight.
Give yourself three months to lose weight but have smaller milestones to track your progress towards achieving your goal.
You can lose about 10 pounds a month or two or so pounds a week. Set the smaller goals to work toward accomplishing your bigger goals.
Also, you never want to jump right into things too fast. Give yourself an acclimation period by starting off with three times a week of working out, and if the body feels good over time, then you can increase the number of days you are working out.
“When things get hard, you must be reminded of your goals and stay on top of them.”
– Marquan Jones
What recovery techniques have you been doing lately? What are your rest and recovery goals for 2022?
Recovery is very important, and it can be simple if you allow it. I like to tell my athletes to do three simple things to start off: Fuel, Sleep and Stretch.
For fuel, figure out what works for you and drinking the proper amount of water daily helps the body tremendously.
Sleep keeps you sharp and it helps your central nervous system get back on track, which allows you to perform better for your next session.
The amount of sleep needed depends on who you are, but I recommend 6-8 hours a night will allow you to feel fully rested.
Finally, stretch. With activity comes bumps and bruises and to minimize that, try to stretch before and after every session. Your body will thank you.
How will you strive for more in 2022?
Simply remind yourself of your goals. I write my goals down and read those goals to keep me consistent.
The phrase – It is not about staying motivated, it is about staying consistent – stays with me. If I’m able to make an effort to be consistent with the goals that I have set, and I will be able to achieve whatever I want.
It takes an extreme amount of discipline and with that comes time management. A good balance is important, so find what works best for you and be consistent.