See here: The pitfalls to avoid when (re)starting training (part 1)
Annual resolutions or goals
A new year means resolutions... the famous promises of change. Indeed, most people desire to have better lifestyle habits or to be more active, especially after indulging during the holidays. However, few actually manage to see real results after setting a nice goal in their mind. Let's be honest, it can be a good way to achieve a dream or a project, but for it to take root, it must be concrete and realistic.
In the following text, I present two rather common errors in goal formulation and some ways to remedy them.
Having a goal that is too general
There is nothing worse as a goal, because it is vague and therefore not grounded in reality. It's like saying you eventually want to travel, without ever mentioning dates, budget, or a destination; in fact, it's a recipe for procrastination. So I offer you some solutions for the most beautiful meaningless phrases I have the chance to hear every year as a coach.
- I want to be fitter. First of all, you should look into your definition of "fitness," or ask yourself: what does it look like in everyday life? Is it doing 50 squats in a row? Is it running 5, 10, 20, 50 km without stopping? Your definition needs to be personal. For example, for me it would be: I want to be able to walk my dog 3x30min a day easily and go on a 3-hour paddleboarding trip without being sore the next day. Here, this is not the final goal, but it is a start to question yourself about the aspect that matters most to you and to make a plan that will bring benefits in everyday life.
- I want to have better cardio. This goal is not so bad, as it is starting to be more precise. However, for you, is cardio about going faster? Being more enduring? Being more powerful? Recovering more quickly after a sprint? In short, even within cardiovascular capacity, there are different qualities you might want to develop. Not only that, but sometimes we have better technique in one activity than in another, which will affect our results in tests that measure this capacity. For example, you have excellent running technique, but swimming is not your cup of tea. You will therefore be more likely to have poor results in a swimming test than in a running one. So be more precise about the quality to develop, as well as the discipline to prioritize. For example, I would like to increase my running speed over a distance of 5 km.
- I want to be more muscular. Just like the example above, this goal is a bit more defined, but it lacks details. This type of goal should also be specific to the desired quality (e.g., strength, power, hypertrophy, endurance), as some compete with each other (see below). You should also consider the muscle groups you would like to prioritize, but without neglecting others (like the legs!). It's also great to be able to connect to a purpose or a need to justify our training. For example, the goal could look like: I would like to have more muscle strength in my upper body and abs to split wood easily and avoid injuring my back.
- I want to lose weight. This sentence is more than common and unfortunately is the most thorny of all the examples. Weight is an obsession in our society and should not be the focus of such great attention. Indeed, it is rather body composition and sedentary lifestyle that should be at the heart of our concerns for our health. I therefore invite you to watch this video which explains in detail how to better formulate this type of goal and sustain the health benefits.
Having "competitive" goals
As mentioned a little earlier, certain aspects of training (especially strength and cardiovascular capacity) compete with each other. For example, in weight training, strength is at one end of the continuum and endurance at the other. This means that if I do strength training, I will have very little gain in endurance, and vice versa. Additionally, it should be considered that some strength training competes with certain types of cardiovascular training.
In this situation, it is therefore necessary to refer to one of the training principles: specificity. This means, among other things, that if you want to achieve significant results or gains, you need to do at least 3 sessions with the same distinct objective per week (e.g., cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength). On the other hand, the good news is that maintaining a gain only requires 2 sessions per week or can even be done by working at the other end of the continuum.
One way to work around the problem is to do cycles of 8 to 12 weeks to work on one quality, then move on to another while respecting the continuum. This is called training periodization. In high-level sports, this allows physical trainers to work on several qualities throughout the year and help athletes reach peak form for their key competitions. If you just want to feel good in your body, remember this: set smaller, but more precise goals that you will reassess every 2-3 months (or sooner if you were off track!).
In summary, your New Year's health resolution should be at least:
- Specific (quality, discipline);
- Focused on a real everyday need;
- Short term (2-3 months);
If you still don't know which goal to focus on or how to progress, consult a kinesiologist certified by the FKQ to guide you. The professional will help you pace yourself and direct you towards a game plan that suits you.
Article written by:
Claudia Labrosse
Kinesiologist certified by the Fédération des kinésiologues du Québec (FKQ)
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