A New Year, a New You. We have all heard it before... But what does that actually mean to you? You have survived the Holidays. The resolutions are fresh in your mind. Now it’s time to get back in gear.

The New Year presents an opportunity to start the year off with fresh start. It’s good to start with a clean slate. It allows us to stop worrying about or feeling guilty for our past. Too often our failures to live up to our own standards weigh us down and prevent us from making progress. We have all felt the desire to just skip the gym when we know we should go. However, our feelings will often deceive us. They will usually tell us to do something that we “think” will make us happy. However, deep down inside we all know the real answers to our dilemmas. We know we shouldn’t hit that snooze button on our alarm “just one more time.” We know we shouldn’t go in for seconds (or thirds) at the dinner table. We know we shouldn’t skip that fitness class in the morning. In those times, our feelings are screaming in silence to do what feels good in the moment.

The trick to not listening to those feelings is to disrupt that thought pattern with action. Since our feelings are usually telling us to take the easy way out, we know that we must do something differently. In comes the concept of the 5 second rule. Not to be confused with the rule where you drop a piece of candy on the ground and that you have a 5 second window to pick it up before it’s contaminated. Rather, the concept of the 5 second rule was popularized by Mel Robbins, a well known inspirational speaker and author. It is a basic mental trick to kick start you into action.

Whenever we have an instinct that is attached to a goal, we have about 5 seconds to act on it before our brain extinguishes the idea or impulse. Thus, the simple trick is to countdown verbally from 5 and then act on those instinctual feelings. These feelings are the gut impulses that we know to be good and true for us, not the rash irreversible decisions that are destructive. The countdown primes our brain for action, then the action itself is what makes the difference. If you are determined to act within those 5 seconds, you will start developing a habit that will propel you forward towards accomplishment. It’s simple, yet very effective. 

Start utilizing this trick today, especially with your fitness goals. Every time you hear that little internal voice to skip the gym, drown out that noise with a 5 second countdown and immediate action. That way, as we countdown into 2019, this year can really be a New Year, New You. 

See you on the fitness floor, BG