MAX Beat Issue # 1 – How To Set New Year’s Resolutions That Stick

How To Set New Year’s Resolutions That Stick

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” Often times, the holidays elicit both – we feel regret for what we didn’t accomplish in the past year and resolve to do better in the coming year. We approach our New Year’s Resolutions as something we must do to make our lives better, setting ourselves up for failure.

We often rate our success in ignoring temporary pleasure or in pursuing long-term goals by how much “willpower” we have. Willpower is often defined as self-control. Many of us have grown to believe that if we can’t exercise willpower that we are weak.

On the contrary, Dr. Roy F. Baumeister, researcher at Florida State University, found evidence to support the idea that willpower is not a personality trait or a virtue; rather, it works more like a muscle that can be strengthened and fatigued. It has also been suggested that willpower is general and it is limited; that is, if you use willpower to say no to the brownie after lunch, you may not have enough willpower left to hit the gym after work.

For lasting change we must strengthen our willpower. The good news is that willpower can be trained. Practice controlling one thing that you aren’t used to controlling and do it every day. This could be maintaining good posture all day or not using creamer in your coffee or getting to bed by 10 pm every night. This act of self-control can be uncomfortable at first, but the more you do it the easier it gets. The easier it gets, the less likely it is to deplete your willpower.

Adhering to some simple rules about goal-setting will also help to ensure your success with New Year’s Resolutions and aspirations throughout the year. Aside from creating goals that are clearly defined, realistic and measurable, keep these further suggestions in mind:

• Set goals about achieving not avoiding.
• Take the YOU factor out of the equation – if you want to avoid eating junk food, don’t keep any junk food at home
• Involve a friend – surround yourself with supporters and those with common goals
• Expect missteps – don’t give up if you have a setback.

MAX10 Calendar

Monday, January 7: We will introduce some slight changes to our fitness schedule. The full schedule will be emailed out the first week of January. Here are some of the coming changes:

Monday: Cage – 5:30 pm
Tuesday: Cage – 5:00 pm
Wednesday: Core Force – 5:30 pm
Thursday: Cage – 5:00 pm

Friday, January 18, 6:00 pm: Q1 Fitness Challenge
This will be the first quarterly Challenge of 2013. The Challenge will consist of 10-15 stations where you will compete (against yourself) to complete as many repetitions as possible in a 1-minute period. The same Challenge will be offered in all of 2013 giving you the opportunity to better your results in each event. A new and different Challenge will be given every year.

Sign-up sheets for the Q1 Fitness Challenge will be posted on the MAX10 board in the student lounge (locker area) beginning January 7th. A list of Challenge stations will also be posted for those wanting to train ahead of time. This Challenge is for everyone regardless of skill or fitness level!

Join us for the Challenge after-party immediately following the event – location tbd.

Holiday / On-going promotions:

• Refer a friend who signs an on-going training agreement and get 1 month free!
• Holiday Gift Boxes remain available for purchase until December 31st.

Healthy Eating Spotlight & Forum

If you are anything like me, it’s easy to find yourself in a rut when it comes to eating healthy. Meal-time can become redundant or boring because we stick with what we know tastes good or is easy to prepare. I’d like to devote this section of the newsletter to showcasing a wide variety of seasonal produce and healthy recipes to help you (and me!) branch out and try something different (and hopefully delicious!) Again, reader’s contributions of recipes and reviews are encouraged and greatly appreciated.

Grapefruit: While most citrus — lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits — are available year round, winter is when grapefruit is at its peak. With their vibrant pink flesh and tart refreshing flavor, now is the time to enjoy the subtropical fruit. Low in calories, high in fiber and phytonutrients, grapefruits tout many health benefits such as immune system support, decreasing the risk of many cancers and heart disease and lowering LDL cholesterol.

Grapefruit Chicken Satay Salad (EatingWell.com)
4 servings / 310 cal per serving
This tossed salad borrows the basic flavors of Thai satay and turns them into a rich and satisfying entree salad.

Ingredients

2 large pink or ruby-red grapefruits

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce or to taste

8 cups roughly chopped romaine lettuce (about 2 hearts)

1 cup sliced radishes (about 8 radishes)

Directions

1. With a sharp knife, remove the peel and white pith from grapefruits and discard. Cut the grapefruit segments from the surrounding membranes, letting them drop into a small bowl. Working over a large bowl, squeeze the remaining membranes to extract the juice. Set the segments and juice aside separately.
2. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Line a broiler pan or baking sheet
3. with foil.
4. Toss chicken, dry mustard, garlic powder, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, pepper and salt in a large bowl until the chicken is well coated. Place on the prepared pan in a single layer.
5. Broil the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar and hot sauce into the reserved grapefruit juice until smooth. Add the cooked chicken and lettuce; toss to combine. Serve the salad topped with radishes and the reserved grapefruit segments.

If it didn’t Bring you Joy,
Just Leave it Behind.

Let’s Ring in the New Year
With Good Things in Mind.

Let Every Bad Memory Go
That Brought Heartache and Pain.

And let’s Turn a New Leaf
With the Smell of New Rain.

Let’s Forget Past Mistakes
Making Amends for This Year.

Sending You These Greetings
To Bring you Hope and Cheer

Happy New Year! (~Author Unknown)

Nicole Marinez and Staff
MAX10 Fitness & Boot Camp
MKG Martial Arts

www.maxfitnessbootcamp.com
www.facebook.com/MKGMAX10