Happy New Year my friend.
Lucy and I have had a busy time with family and friends, I managed to squeeze in a few workouts over the holidays but ultimately I’m looking forward to getting back to my routines.
Routines are important, they’re the backbone of daily life. Concentrate on routines and everything else will slot into place.
Often too much focus is placed on long term goals but it’s the small daily routines that will get you there.
Here are a few small daily routines I implemented last year:
- Drink 1 pint of water when I wake up
- Use my foam roller every evening
- Write on my blog (over 100 new articles written last year)
- Read for at least 1 hour
- Sit in a kneeling position for 10 minutes
Note that these are small daily actions that apply to me and my goals. If I needed to move more or improve my diet I’d focus on those.
So if you usually set annual goals or new years resolutions why not think about what small daily changes you can make to achieve your long term goals.
Here are a few daily suggestions for you:
- Track what you eat and drink (see my training tools section below)
- Pick up your kettlebell (do as much or as little as you feel)
- Sit still in a quiet place for 10 minutes (a great start to reducing stress)
Keep your daily routines simple and achievable, build daily habits and your long term goals will be a lot more achievable.
Learn more about nurturing daily habits in these 2 excellent books:
5 Movement Patterns
Understanding these essential movement patterns will help simplify all your workout and exercise choices. All exercises will fit into one of these categories:
- Push (vertical & horizontal)
- Pull (vertical & horizontal)
- Knee Bend (squats, lunges etc.)
- Hip Hinge (deadlifts, swings) See 9 examples
- Core (Frontal, Sagittal, Transverse) Learn the 5 essentials
Include each of these movement patterns in your workouts and you will keep your body balanced, use every muscle in your body and save huge amounts of time.
If you are new to structured exercise or looking for a way to improve your existing training then keep these patterns in mind.
I’ll be expanding on this over the coming weeks so stay tuned.
Here’s an intermediate workout from my 50 kettlebell circuits program:
- Regular Row – 30 seconds each side
- Single Handed Swing – 30 seconds each side
- Reverse Lunge – 30 seconds each side
- Sit and Press – 60 seconds
The above workout will take you 4 minutes. If you need more you can rest 60 seconds and repeat.
Notice how you use all 5 movement patterns mentioned above. You can always replace the Lunges for Squats or Single Handed Swings for Two Handed Swings.
Click to download this workout
Want to lose weight? Here’s a few nutritional things to think about:
- Dry January: here in the UK many people give up alcohol for January. Alcohol is the greatest cause of weight gain along with gut inflammation, sugar cravings, depression, reduction in energy levels and plays havoc with your hormones. Want to lose fat, start with alcohol.
- Mistaken hunger: we all know the importance of water but did you know that thirst is often mistaken for hunger. The body often craves food for its water content. Feel hungry? Try a glass of water first.
See my 9 most important nutritional tips in order of importance.
Last year I had fun using all sorts of training and health tools, here’s some of my favourites:
- Rollga Foam Roller: a very different type of foam roller that allows you to roll either side of your joints. I’ve been rolling my upper back every night for 12 months and love the way it counteracts any daily sitting.
- Airex Balance Pad: I’ve been using these balance pads with clients for as long as I can remember but last year I really started to expand on their use. Great for single leg or single arm exercises, core training, rehab, lunge variations and more.
- BLUM Glass Water Bottle Filter: I refill my bottle daily and keep it in the kitchen for my morning water habit that I mentioned earlier.
- What I Ate Notepad: tracking what you eat and drink has been proven to be one of the most effective paths to weight loss. Just being aware helps you make better choices.
- REPS Kettlebells (USA only): what kettlebell you use is very important to prevent damage to the wrists and hands. 8kg and 12kg for women and 12kg and 16kg for men.
OK, that’s all for now, I hope you like my new weekly newsletter format for 2020.
See you next week.
Take care,
Greg
[I’ve included some links above that are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission will not affect the original price or the price you pay.]