A new frontier of experiencing the next set of twelve calendar months is upon us. As we set out to journey through 2022, we can appreciate the successes, times shared with others, and challenges we’ve overcome from the previous year. We tack another digit onto our age. Our kids might progress to the next grade or graduate from college. Tremendous lifestyle improvements such as being awarded a promotion at work, buying a new home, possibly retiring, or bringing a new child into the world may have been shining stars this last year.
The new year also brings challenges. Crossroads in our lives could include kids going off to college and leaving parents as empty nesters. Friendships and relationships may have come to an end. The opportunity to set audacious and exciting goals also opens voids made by the trials of life that could pose an obstacle for focusing on fulfilling our efforts for 2022.
Fortunately, the psychology hardwired into our human minds is a valuable tool to assist in filling voids and steer us to a successful path. Additionally, our body’s physiology supports our visions and goals for 2022. Perhaps a trip is planned to visit a faraway land never experienced before or we want to resume a hobby that has been on the back burner. More importantly, we can’t forget about the integrity of our physical bodies to pair with a powerfully driven and motivated mindset to create an impact on our plans and achieve new goals for 2022.
Falling ill to a silly cold, metabolic disease, and an encyclopedia list of conditions that hamper our physical body pose obstacles to our path to having a prosperous new year. To avoid suboptimal sickness markers, ensuring the body is aerobically fit with a sufficient lean muscle to fat mass ratio can’t be overlooked. Suppose the body enters a state of injury, sickness from a random disease, or becoming overly psychologically stressed. These suboptimal conditions significantly alter the likelihood of focusing on our goals. We can’t enjoy a trip to Europe if we have surgery scheduled to fix an overuse injury in our backs. Becoming consumed in the external stresses of life, such as financial logistics and intrapersonal relationships, can soak up all of our mental bandwidth, distracting us from our actual goals of working on crafts and hobbies to refine our well-being. Lastly, the threat of a sedentary lifestyle, metabolic disease, and symptoms of obesity threatens the body’s immune system. If we get sick or injured, our course gets significantly hindered. The beauty of mitigating these distracting factors and enjoy 2022 is that our bodies are designed to grow and thrive. Two great places to start building a good foundation of ensuring we reach our goals in 2022 is to eat the right foods and reinforce the functional units of our body through an adherent exercise routine.
A few safe and effective tactics to start when focusing on recalibrating our body includes exercising three central portions: the muscles of the lower extremities and the muscles responsible for the pushing and pulling actions of the upper extremities. Individuals newer to exercise programs are sometimes challenged with where to start when entering a fitness program. If understanding where to begin a physical fitness regimen is challenging, focus on three main movements: squats, push-ups, and band resisted pull apart. By focusing on these influential and straightforward movements and performing thirty repetitions twice per week, an individual can sustain a foundation of lean muscle mass, an efficient energy system, and a healthy heart to keep our bodies operating at maximal capacity.
The substances we consume work synergistically to lay the foundation for our bodies. Eating foods that are free of processed ingredients and rich in vitamins and minerals will fuel the cells in our body to operate as well-maintained motors to keep us on an efficient path in getting the most out of our workdays. In addition, avoiding too many harmful substances such as copious amounts of alcohol, fast food, or unnecessary snack foods will keep us free of baggage on our journey to achieve our aspirations. A few simple dietary tactics include consuming at least three liters of water per day, limiting alcohol intake to three days per week, and ensuring to have no more than a handful of carbohydrates at each meal.
2022 is going to be a powerful and invigorating year for all of us. So, let’s refer to our compasses and recalibrate our path to success in this new year by focusing on a strong body, healthy diet, and indomitable spirit. We have plenty of life to live. Let’s go live it.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.
