It’s that time of year that we will invariably see an overload of social media posts claiming “New Year, New You”.  To this I say malarkey.

New Year’s resolutions.  We’ve all made them.  We’ve all broken them.  It’s the time of year where we take stock in our deficiencies while we wallow in our self-induced hyperglycemic coma and body image dysmorphia that mandatorily accompanies the season.  Seems like the best time to contemplate life changing decisions right?  We have the best of intentions, yet our reasons for wanting these changes is often misguided.

New You?  What is really wrong with the Old You?  Do you need to start all over?  Isn’t that kind of like throwing the baby out with the bath water?  How about amending this to a Better You.

The thing is, you are already amazing.  You have spent your life building and placing the bricks in the wall that define you, who you are at your deepest level.  It is not that you need to rip the wall down and rebuild, but rather it may be time for some repairs and maybe a new paint job.

What people are really trying to accomplish is a change in a few of their unwanted behaviours.  Behaviours are actions, it’s what we do, not who we are.

Where I would start is by creating a behaviour inventory.  What are the behaviours that you do that are good, beneficial, and are genuinely aligned with who you perceive yourself to be.  This is the starting point.  Once you have accomplished this, then you can move to the same exercise, focusing on the behaviours that do not move you forward to your short or long term goals, and those that you feel are detrimental to who you are at your core.  Firstly, acknowledge, give credit, and reward yourself for all the positive things that you do in your life.  Next, take the list of your least desirable behaviours and rank them in order of those that you would most like to change.  Now you have a starting point to start setting goals.

Now that you have created a behaviour modification inventory and set SuPeR SMART goals, now it’s time to come up with an action plan.  Remember, you don’t have to do this yourself.  If your behaviour modification goals include exercise or nutrition, well, we know just how to help you.  I encourage you to make the first step by walking through our doors and asking us how we can help you.  We can.  We will.

Remember, you don’t need a NEW you, you just want a BETTER you.

Shane Pizzey  MKin, CSCS, CEP

Founder/Director of Sports Sciences.