Happy New Year everyone! And you know what that means right?! A barrage of New Year's Resolutions bombarding our lives — from coworkers talking to social media feeds and everything in between. But you did get the memo right? ...The one about resolutions waning and failing? ...The one showing statistics citing less than 10% of those promises were kept by years end with 80% failing by February? But why? Is there any hope? What's the deal?!

Here are 3 ideas to help you embark on your New Year's Revolution.

1. No Zero to Hero
Losing 50 pounds off the couch in 3 months, qualifying for the Boston marathon despite not being a runner, or quitting smoking or sugar or alcohol cold turkey without a real plan, the list goes on. It is great to dream big but think about making smaller, more bite sized, realistic goals that allow your physiology to adapt, setting you up for longer-term success. Build new habits that become interspersed with your day-to-day life. Famous Kettlebell Coach and legend Pavel T used the term, "Grease the Groove" to describe his formula for building strength. Pavel recognized that strength is a skill and therefore must be practiced to produce neurological adaptations. You need to practice your habits as skills so your body makes permanent changes. All of these smaller changes, practiced regularly, can equal some massive long-term changes. As Will Durant said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.”

2. Buddy Up
We are social animals. We thrive around tribe and community and the energy of others. So, before embarking on your Revolution this year, assemble a team and prepare to have each others' backs and build accountability. The South African term 'Ubuntu' has many meanings but one that is very important is "a person is a person through other people", which means I am strong because we are strong. And by this, I truly mean buddy up...in person. We are human and we need real connection — not just via social media. Social media may be one small part of this connection, but it would be a mistake to make it the sole way to bond with someone. If you can't high five it, then it's not real!

3. K.I.S.S.
Keep it simple...you know the rest and no, I didn't just call you stupid! Kind of like #1 above, we need to make this stick and the more streamlined we can be, the better chance we have of success. Keeping it simple doesn't just mean with choosing your goals, but also in your approach. Set yourself up for changes that stick by simplifying the process and paring down the distractions and barriers that may get in your way. Simple doesn't mean small or weak, it just means refined and stripped to the bare elements that allow for a concise plan of attack. Remember as Albert Einstein once said, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

4. Action Jackson
Having a plan is key and some studies have backed up the importance of physically writing our progress and dedicating time to the process. It may be easy to just 'wing it' for some people, but in reality, writing down our goals is more effective. In a study by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, gathered 267 people together — men and women from all over the world, and from all walks of life, including entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare professionals, artists, lawyers and bankers. She divided the participants into groups, according to who wrote down their goals and dreams, and who didn’t. She found that you become 42% more likely to achieve your goals and dreams, simply by writing them down on a regular basis. This was attributed to, again, the brain and the importance of connection between the left and right hemispheres. So write that $%^ down!!

So, here you go — as promised — a few ideas to help you really spark a Revolution in YOU by achieving, not just dreaming. The work and dedication is up to you (and your tribe) so get out there and make it happen and make 2018 your best year yet!

When you hear people talk about the "core muscles" do you know what they are talking about? In simple terms, your core is just about everything on your body except your arms and legs. This means you can think of your glutes, hips, abdominal muscles, inner abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, and scapula as your core. Your core is where your power is generated in order to carry out any movement. While abdominal and inner abdominal muscles do play a large roll in core stability, they don’t make up the core all by themselves.

What does the core do?
Your core most often acts as a stabilizer and force transfer center rather than a prime mover. Yet consistently people focus on training their core as a prime mover and in isolation. This would be doing crunches or back extensions versus functional movements like deadlifts, overhead squats, and pushups, among many other functional closed chain exercises. By training that way, not only are you missing out on a major function of the core, but also better strength gains, more efficient movement, and longevity of health.

So, with all this in mind, it's a good idea to keep your core at the top of the "to strengthen" list.

Watch the video below for 5 great core exercises you can do today.

If you'd like personal help in strengthening your core, contact us today to schedule time with one of our certified personal trainers.