January 2019: New Years Goals

Happy New Year!! This email newsletter has been a LONG time coming since you
subscribed to this email list, but it is finally here, and I am going to be bringing you all monthly content from here on out – straight to your inbox.

This month, I want to focus on goal setting and New Years Resolutions because it’s
everyone’s hot topic this month. My goal with this newsletter is to not let ANY of you
fall short of your goals for 2019 by giving you the tools you need to reach them.

DID YOU KNOW that the TOP 3 goals across the US are to
Eat Healthier, Exercise More, and Save Money…

My goals are pretty similar to these – but what is going to separate me from the rest of
the population that never follows through? What is going to separate YOU from the
masses?

The reason why people never follow through is because their goals aren’t specific
enough and there is no timeline. Most people make broad, blanket statements for their
resolutions like:

“I’m going to cut back on drinking.”
“I’m going to eat less red meat.”
“I’m going to lose weight this year.”
“I’m going to be better about my finances.”

While these are great goals, they lack direction, planning, and especially specificity.
Without being able to quantify how much, or by when you want this goal
accomplished, it is easy to lose motivation and lose sight of the goal itself in a very
short period of time.

If you haven’t heard this acronym before, then plan your New Year’s Resolution
goals as S.M.A.R.T. goals.

S – Specific.
Instead of saying you want to exercise more, be specific about how you want to go
about this. Do you want to learn to lift weights? Get into Yoga? Pilates? Run a half
marathon?The more specific you are with your goals, the more direction you will feel
you have pursuing them.

M – Measurable.
You need to be able to quantify your goal. If your goal is to lose weight or inches,
specify HOW MANY pounds you want to lose, or how many inches around the waist.
The more you can put numbers onto your goals, the easier it will be to stay motivated
along the way.

A – Attainable.
Make sure you are setting goals that are not impossible. No one can lose 50 pounds in
the first two weeks of the year.If you have a weight loss goal, a great pace for weight
loss is 1-2 pounds down per week.If you have a strength goal, set smaller, incremental
strength goals that will add up to that lofty max you want to push eventually. No one
who bench pressed 225 maxed out at 135 the week before. They hit 135, then they hit
140, then they hit 145, and they continued to hit these small goals until they eventually were able to press 225 down the road.

R – Realistic.
Set goals that are realistic with your lifestyle and with the commitments you already
have in place.For example: If you work two jobs, have three kids, and a spouse who
also works full time, then there is an extremely low likelihood that you will be able to
hit the gym 6 days per week for 2 hours per day.Setting yourself up for success in the
CONTEXT of the life you already live is key to being able to stick to your plan and
reach your goals.

T – Timely.
Set a timeline for your goals. Goals that have no deadline are extremely difficult to stay motivated for, and you are more likely to give up or put off that goal because there is
no date you are looking forward to.This could be the length of a strength program you are running, a deadline to lose a certain amount of weight by a certain date, a
bodybuilding show date, wedding date, vacation, etc. It doesn’t matter what you set
your timeline for, but making sure to keep dates in mind is key to staying motivated
over a long period of time.If your goal is far in the future, i.e. my next time prepping
for a show, it’s crucial for you to set goals for shorter time frames in the meantime to
stay motivated in the short term. Staying tunnel-vision focused is hard in general, but
it’s even harder when your goal is far off in the distance.

Here’s a peek into MY New Year’s Goals for 2019 to give you some more specific
examples…

Marissa’s New Year’s Goals/New Year’s Resolutions

1. Improve muscle mass and strength
I don’t plan on stepping on a bodybuilding stage until 2020 or 2021. During 2019, I
have a lot going on that is NOT prep/bodybuilding related. Therefore, one of my
biggest goals regarding the stage are to not let it take TOO much of a backseat, if that makes sense. As long as I continue lifting on a regular basis to put on muscle and get
stronger, I will be more successful when it IS time to prep for the stage again.

Thus, I just need to take more TIME away from the stage to build muscle. Muscle
takes a long time to build as a woman and I am not genetically predisposed to building muscle quickly. Getting the density it will take to earn an IFBB pro card will take time, diligence and patience.

My weaknesses on stage were my overall muscle maturity (how dense and compact
my muscle looks when I have leaned out) and size all over. I have good proportions/
ratios but need more muscle and more dense muscle overall.

2. Improve vertical jump for volleyball
Volleyball was the sport I played from 5^th grade until senior year of high school, and I
stopped playing after graduating high school. I’ve picked it back up and it’s become a
priority in my life once again. I play in tournaments every other weekend at minimum
and improving my athleticism and performance in my game has become a top priority.

As this part of my life started becoming prominent again, I started to feel less and less motivated in the gym toward my bodybuilding goals. I felt unmotivated because I
wasn’t doing anything to improve my athletic game when lifting weights for aesthetics only.

I’ve started a new program that is a hybrid of powerlifting, bodybuilding, and athletic/
jump training. This program for the new year has me feeling extremely motivated
because I know everything I’m doing in the gym is benefitting ALL of my goals.

3. Hit a specific gross and net income goal for my business
The key to reaching this goal is to keep a monthly budget spreadsheet and stay mindful
of my budget when making purchases throughout each month. At the end of each
month, I evaluate my spending and saving and look for ways to cut back on spending
or improve money management habits overall.

I plan on hitting a specific income goal and making sure to put money away to savings
every month.

I have owned my business, Marissa Roy Fitness, since March 2016. From the first year
to the second year of owning my business, I tripled my gross income. In 2018, I
improved my gross income by 150%, but my net income after expenses was not
significantly higher.

What would you like to learn about in my monthly newsletter?
What do you have more questions about?
I would love to help you learn as much as you can about fitness and health in 2019.

Email me your suggestions at marissaroy.pt@gmail.com!

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Hey, I'm Marissa

I am an online health & fitness coach with a passion for helping others reach their fitness goals, no matter how many times they have tried in the past.

My mission is to educate you throughout our time working together so that you are equipped to challenge yourself through nutrition & training for life.