I would rather you under work than over work the first week of January. Yep, you read that right. While I love this time of year for reinvigorating peoples motivation and desire to move their bodies, it’s fascinating that a huge percentage of people still think that they’re going to wake up the first week of January and be a completely different person in terms of their diet and movement habits.
Most people go too extreme the first few weeks of the new year to only burn out physically and/or mentally. We are conditioned to want results asap. The myth is that the harder we work the more the odds are in our favor to see results faster. The truth is that the person who works out half as hard, but more constantly (with solid programming), will see more results long term than the person who goes all in for 3-4 weeks and then stops. Why? Because it actually takes at least a couple months to actually start seeing change in your body composition.
If you go all out the first few weeks, you can develop chronic inflammation, pain, and overuse injuries. Plus, it’s just not sustainable. But, if you show up consistently and give what you can that day week after week, your body will have no choice but to be different this time next year. You will have more muscle mass, a faster metabolism, and more importantly better insulin sensitivity, meaning your body will use energy more efficiently instead of storing it as fat. Plus, you’ll develop a better relationship with your body and have created better movement habits that are sustainable long term.
No more shame to give 120 percent every time you workout or go home. Find a resistance training based movement program like KORE | KINECT, stay consistent, and focus on playing the long game. Your body will thank you.