We're a couple days into 2024 - please tell me you're still on track and haven't fallen off the wagon on your health and fitness just yet

That's what February is for 🙄 (this is where ~80% of people that set resolutions will give up on them)

If you didn't set any resolutions, I can't blame you either

You've probably tried that, and it worked just about as good for you as it has for everyone else, and you decided it isn't worth your time

I'm not a huge believer in resolutions, but I am a huge believer in reflection

And there's few better times to reflect than at memorable milestones (the turn of the calendar year, your birthday, your wedding anniversary, etc)

Because reflection brings revelation

And (the right) revelation brings clarity on what you need to START or STOP doing

And while everyone is talking about all the things you need to do in order to have a great year for your health and fitness in 2024

No one is talking about what to do in order to make this year suck for your health

Wait..why would you want to talk about what would make your year suck?

This is a different perspective I've been taking on goal setting in recent years

And if you don't formally set goals, this can be used on any change you want to make (lose weight/get healthy, save money, start a business, etc)

Asking yourself "what would make me NOT achieve ___x____ outcome" can give you some valuable insight into common pitfalls

Way too many people try to add a new goal/habit/activity on top of a dysfunctional one

When in reality you'd see far more success by removing any negative habits/mindsets before adding anything

So to help you ID what some of those things might be for you, I've put together two lists of 10 things that will keep you from achieving your goals

The first list relates to general goal setting and mindsets that are surefire ways to set you up for failure

The second list is a little more practical as it relates to fitness/nutrition

For the second list I tried not to focus on extremely obvious answers (ex: eating too much, not exercising, brownies every meal, never skip leg day, etc) and focus on foundational things that aren't always talked about

10 Ways to NOT Reach Your Health And Fitness Goals: Mindset

1) No clear goal

Yes, resolutions can be a recipe for failure from the start. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have some type of goal or outcome you want to achieve for 2024.

"I want to be healthy" is not a goal. That's a wish at best that will probably leave you in the same place you are right now at best.

Wanting to lose 10 lbs of fat, put on 10 lbs of muscle, lift X amount of weight, do 5 strict pullups, run a sub 25 minute 5k or sub 60 min Murph workout, 8k steps per day, etc are going to give you a little more direction

(P.S. even those goals above are missing some key components to setting and achieving goals, but for the sake of this email that's way too much to get into. Just know that in general, the more specific you are, the better)

2) No purpose

Why on earth do you want to lose weight, build muscle, run faster, or lift more weight?

Not having a clear purpose has got to be near the top of the list for why most resolutions fail by February.

Once the early excitement and motivation wear off, it's your purpose that is going to carry you through

Losing weight to look better is not nearly as inspiring as losing 20 lbs to get off any medications, share more intimacy with your spouse, and/or be able to play with your grandkids and greatgrandkids when your 80 years old

3) No accountability

This is not a plug for working with a coach (although you certainly will increase your chances and speed of achieving a goal greatly)

But straight up people just don't like to be accountable these days

We post things on social media about our big plans, say things in passing to a friend (or to ourselves), and get all amped up about how we're going to 'crush it' this year

And then life hits, things get hard, and you pretend you never set a goal or that it's not all that important

Simply having one person you trust hold you accountable, or something that's even more unheard of these days: writing something down on paper and holding yourself accountable - can increase the likelihood of you achieving a goal greatly

Start by developing some type of regular cadence of check ins

That could be weighing yourself daily, doing a body fat test every quarter, taking progress pictures, or anything you can do to stay accountable

4) No guardrails

Similar to a vague goal, having no boundaries (or guardrails) on your health and fitness is a recipe for falling off the wagon

Only you can decide how strict you want to be and what you need to consider putting some boundaries on

I've slowly let sugar creep up to be a problem over the past couple years and I'm kicking sugar for the year

That's way too intense for most people (although my wife is doing something similar, with some specific guidelines of how and when she can enjoy those foods - and she would probably argue that if she can do it then you probably could too....if it was important enough)

Some other ideas you could do:

-No social media for a week if you don't workout 3x the week before

-No sweets alone/after work/whenever you tend to overeat them

-Limit eating out/specialty coffee drinks to X amount of times per month

You get the picture - get creative and set some guardrails that actually work for you

5) Too many goals

Equally as damaging as no goals is too many goals.

Trying to change 19 new things at once will probably end up with the exact same result as someone who sets no goals

Start small and only bite off what you can chew - but make sure to ADD more challenging things only as you master one habit

6) Too aggressive of goals

Wanting to lose 20 lbs by Spring Break is doable, but not healthy (for more than one reason)

Men can expect to 'safely' lose 0.5%-2% of BW (on low and high ends) of fat per week while building 0.25-1% of BW of muscle (less for more advanced lifters and more for beginner lifters)

For women, subtract ~0.25-0.5% of the above numbers and you'll fall in the ballpark of what to expect

People overestimate what they can do in the short-term and underestimate what they can do in the long-term

The more sustainable it is to get results is the more likely you are to sustain results in the long-term

7) No tracking of progress

I touched on this under accountability - but it's essential to have some way to track your progress

Otherwise, how do you know if you're improving, maintaining, or getting worse?

I can't tell you how many clients I work with that think they're 'failing' when they're actually getting consistent results

Tracking your average weight (not just stepping on the scale 1x/week), body fat testing, relative strength numbers, progress pics, and having a tight shirt or pants to try on periodically can work wonders for letting you know what progress you are (or aren't) making

8) Underestimating how long/how much work it will take

I can't tell you how many people step into a new health/fitness goal assuming it'll be easier and quicker than they think. Even if you're strict and hitting 100% compliance (which doesn't work for a lot of people) it's probably going to take longer than you think

If you think it will take 3 months, do yourself a favor and at least double it

That doesn't mean don't go all in and try and make it happen in 3 months, but just don't be upset if it takes a little longer

If you find yourself 5, 10, 20 (or more) pounds overweight - you have to remind yourself it took months and years to get to that point

Give yourself some grace as you take off on your journey to make some real changes

Discouragement causes more people to give up than I can count

Quit worrying so much about the timeline that you had in your head and keep focusing on the positive changes you're making along the way

Losing weight, putting on muscle, or getting healthier is cool

Becoming more disciplined, consistent in your word, and setting a better example for your family is a whole lot cooler

Who God is helping you become along this journey is more important than hitting a goal or number on a scale

9) Trying too many new things

If one thing is good, combining all the things must be really good

This is a mindset that gets so many people in trouble

If you're not used to working out or eating healthy, then it's probably not a good idea to jump into carnivore/intermittent fasting/CrossFit/calorie tracking while doing a biweekly juice cleanse

More isn't better. Better is better.

10) A lack of unity with key people in your life

This was one that took my stubborn self a lot of years to learn

And to be honest, this might be the first year Lindsey and I really hit stride on this one

I've always enjoyed setting goals and getting after them

But I almost always neglected how that would affect other key people in my life

Namely Lindsey, our kids, other friends and family, employees, etc.

Before you jump into a new goal that you picked, make sure you really run it by the people that will be impacted by it

If you're not on the same page with your spouse on what sacrifices you BOTH are making as it relates to the goal, then it's only a matter of time before your goal (or worse, your relationship) suffers

If your goal requires you to workout an extra 5 (or more) hours a week, meal prep dozens of meals in tupperware, or requires you to spend a ton of money on - you may need to rethink your goal if you're not in alignment with your family

This is the number one reason why my health and fitness goals have radically changed over the last few years (not counting a spontaneous 100 mile race, although my wife was fully supportive and in agreement on 🤣)

There's a reason I'm so passionate about an approach that is simple, minimalistic, but crazy effective

2 or 3 days in the gym each week with 2 or 3 properly balanced meals per day and you're getting 90 percent (or more) of your results right there

And it doesn't take away from key relationships

10 Ways to NOT Reach Your Health And Fitness Goals: Fitness and Nutrition

1) Not enough protein and veggies

Sometimes focusing less on what NOT to eat can be more harmful than what to eat

If you simply prioritized 1-2 palm sized portions of protein and 1-2 fist sized portions of veggies at every meal, you'd most likely see some positive changes in your body composition over time

Protein and veggies are more satiating (keeps you full longer) and help build/preserve lean muscle mass

2) Keeping easy to consume foods easy to access

Willpower is in limited demand

If your goal is to get healthier and more fit this year, don't make it harder than it needs to be

Ditch the snacks out of the cabinet, fridge, and freezer

Make healthier options easier to consume (have fruits/veggies/etc already prepped and ready to eat, your protein cooked up and on hand) and make less healthy options harder to consume (pre-portion them out, keep less around each week, or simply get rid of them)

3) Too much snacking

You really don't need to be eating all day or every couple hours

I promise you won't starve.

Your snacking out of boredom or habit alone can be the difference between losing weight or gaining weight this year

Stick to 2-4 meals per day that focus on protein, veggies, healthy carbs/fats

You'll probably find you have better energy, better digestion, and more easily manage calories you're taking in

4) Drinking your calories

Kind of obvious, yet not so obvious for some

If you're trying to lose fat, you need to be in a calorie deficit (taking in less calories than you're burning)

You know what makes it hard to take in less calories than you're burning?

Drinking calories that quickly rack up your carbohydrates and overall intake AND taking in calories that do almost nothing for filling you up....leaving you wanting more calories very shortly after

Chew your food this year.

5) Prioritizing cardio/HIIT over strength training

If you're limited on time it's strength training, and not cardio, that will get you the fat burning, muscle building, and body composition changes you probably want (not to mention all the benefits on overall health and longevity)

Cardio and HIIT workouts make you sweat and burn calories, but it's strength training and building lean muscle that will increase your metabolism and lead to easier/more sustained fat loss over time

6) Weekend and evening overeating

I believe the old saying goes something like 'nothing good happens over midnight'

I don't think that was originally said about food choices, but you're sure not reaching for broccoli and celery late in the evening or after a long work week

While these things seem harmless or easy to downplay - it's certainly possible to undo a whole month of fat loss in a single weekend binge episode

7) Impostor health foods

Vegan, gluten-free, all natural, and organic does not make something healthy

Ice cream is still ice cream

Protein bars and most other 'healthy' options are essentially candy bars with some protein added

While these foods can certainly have a place in your diet to be enjoyed, just don't fool yourself into thinking you're being healthy or moving towards your fitness goals because a brownie or cookie is gluten free or made with oatmeal

8) Eating too fast or with distractions

This is one of the most harmful and impactful habits for me (disclaimer: also one of the toughest)

Slowing down, chewing your food, and avoiding distractions while eating can work wonders for your health and body composition

Eating until you feel 80% full (and not stuffed) is another habit - if it was the only habit you did - that can radically transform your health this year

Those systems in your body that tell you when your full are all thrown off when you scarf food down while scrolling on your phone

9) Not prioritizing warm-up and proper technique

Here is another gym one. While I'm all about time efficient workouts, I'm a big advocate for proper warm ups

And without a doubt proper technique should be a requirement

If you try to jump into a heavy workout without warming up, or you progress your weights before your form is where it needs to be, it's a recipe for an injury

You're trying to roll the dice on saving some time or energy in exchange for a possible injury down the road

If you get hurt, you miss time at the gym, you probably say screw it and don't eat well, and you set yourself back weeks (or months possibly)

Need a place to start? Here's a sample squat and bench press warm-up

If you need some help on technique, click here and scroll down the page to find effective cues for improving your squat, deadlift, and bench press

10) A lack of progression

If you're still doing the same workout and lifting the same weight, while weighing roughly the same, then it's time to question what you're doing

Unless you've maxed out your genetic potential on building muscle (probably not most people reading this email), then you should be getting stronger

Either your strength numbers should be increasing, or you should be at least maintaining strength as you drop weight (ideally both)

If you want to get really good results in less time, it will require you to push it a little past your comfort zone

That's why we use Reverse Pyramid Training in our programs - it's a really good way to keep the intensity high (especially when leaning up)

There you have it, there's your list of all the things NOT to do this year if you want to be successful in your health and fitness goals

And yes - you should have some goals - even if it's 'not your thing'

Click here and DM me with what those goals are, if you need help setting goals, or let me know if I missed anything

And go crush it this year, you know where to find me if you need anything

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