How to Smash Your New Year’s Vegan Fitness Goals (in 9 Easy Steps)
Do you find New Year’s resolutions difficult to keep?
Believe me, I know the feeling; we’re all guilty of setting ourselves unrealistic or unsustainable goals, especially when it comes to fitness!
BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.
It is entirely possible to achieve and maintain our 2022 New Year’s fitness, strength, and weight loss goals on a vegan diet.
I’ve had plenty of success helping my clients accomplish their fitness resolutions and I’ve got some simple tips to help you do this too.
Let me show you.
Want help making achievable fitness goals? Book in a free chat with a certified online personal trainer.
Contents
Does a vegan diet promote fitness?
How do you create sustainable New Year’s fitness resolutions?
9 easy steps to achieve your New Year’s vegan fitness goals
Making your vegan New Year’s resolutions stick for good
How to stay accountable in 2022
Does a vegan diet promote fitness?
If you’re wondering whether or not you’ll be able to achieve your 2021 New Year’s fitness goals on an entirely plant-based diet, then the answer is YES.
A vegan diet can certainly promote exercise and good health because it provides so many nutrients, including plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
The low intake of saturated fat and lack of cholesterol improves blood viscosity and subsequent flow of oxygen throughout the body. In turn, this enhances athletic performance – yippee!
In addition, a vegan diet is naturally high in healthy carbohydrates, the body’s main source of energy. One of the three macronutrients, carbohydrate is particularly important for fuelling workouts.
Of course, you won’t benefit from these nutrients if you’re a junk food vegan, so make sure you’re incorporating lots of healthy whole foods into your diet.
If you need help transitioning to a healthy vegan diet, make sure you check out our step-by-step guide by clicking on the link below:
Help me kick the junk!
How do you create sustainable New Year’s fitness resolutions?
Make your 2022 New Year’s resolution stick for good this time by creating goals that are sustainable for the long haul.
Sometimes people set themselves up for failure from the beginning because their goal is too big, too broad, and too grand. Within a couple of weeks, they may give up if the finish line isn’t in sight.
The first month or two should be focused on creating a new habit and preparing yourself for each small step so that eventually you can reach the…
BIG, BEAUTIFUL GOAL.
Hopefully, the accomplishment will feel so wonderful that you will want to keep pushing forward!
Your progress should be a step ladder, not one big leap.
9 simple steps to achieve your New Year’s vegan fitness goals
Here are my recommendations to keep your 2022 vegan fitness goals realistic, positive, and sustainable for the year to come.
Not only will this help you to smash your New Year’s resolutions, but it will also allow you to maintain your fitness…forever, if you follow these 9 simple steps:
1. Build consistency
Use January and February to form your healthy habit.
For example, set a goal to exercise four days a week— and then stick to it!
Complete every single workout and mark it on your calendar—even if it’s a short 10-minute workout.
Reward yourself after each week or two with a cheat meal or new workout shirt.
Your next step can be increasing intensity and/or giving yourself a physical challenge like losing a pound per week.
Try this fun challenge: see how many push-ups you can reach after one month of practicing.
Focus on building a routine and lifestyle around health and fitness, not simply finding a quick fix.
2. Get yourself a workout buddy or personal trainer
Make sure your workout buddy is a positive person who will help you stay inspired and focused on your vegan fitness goal.
If you find a personal trainer, don’t be afraid to tell them what you want and what you like to do. Their job is not only to help you get in shape but also to encourage you to love working out.
I guarantee they will be willing to accommodate your fitness interests (or they aren’t the right trainer for you).
Not sure why you’d bother with a coach? Here are 7 compelling reasons why you should hire your own online personal trainer.
3. Eat mindfully
Another step you can take to help you keep your New Year’s fitness resolution is to practice eating your delicious vegan food mindfully.
Learn how to eat when you’re hungry, stop before you’re full, cherish the bites you take, and love how it makes you feel.
Intuitive or mindful eating is what they’re calling it these days and it makes so much sense! We should be so appreciative of the food we eat and the body we are consuming it with. We should enjoy our food, but learn to listen to our bodies.
PRACTICE BY EATING SLOWER AND CHEWING APPROXIMATELY 32 TIMES BEFORE SWALLOWING.
This is really difficult (believe me) but the practice will slow you down.
Also, try setting down your fork after a bite or two and waiting to see how you feel before taking another.
When dining out, ask for a to-go box when your order comes to the table and proactively place a portion into the box before eating.
Bonus: it’s another meal you don’t have to worry about later.
4. Do what YOU want to do when it comes to fitness
Everyone has different tastes for exercise and this can really impact our ability to achieve our New Year’s resolutions.
DO YOU DISLIKE GOING TO THE GYM?
That is totally fine—go to the park or workout in your yard or living room. The key is to get it done!
Why not try this Full Body Booty-Focused Home Workout?
DO YOU LOVE YOGA BUT HATE LIFTING WEIGHTS?
Stick with yoga; try different variations of yoga (like vinyasa, Bikram, hot yoga, power yoga) to train your muscles in different ways.
There are so many right answers to a successful workout routine and lifestyle…you just have to find yours!
5. Make your weight loss goals realistic and healthy
Remember those SMART goals I mentioned in the Ultimate Guide to Vegan Health & Fitness?
It’s important to make your New Year’s vegan fitness resolutions achievable and sustainable.
Healthy vegan fitness goals
A safe weight loss goal is one pound per week so make sure you aren’t making drastic calorie cuts.
When creating a deficit don’t cut down too much on your calories or you may feel hunger pains, fatigue, and/or cravings.
AIM FOR A 200-300 CALORIE DEFICIT FOR FAT LOSS.
Realistic vegan fitness goals
Make smaller vegan fitness goals that lead to your bigger New Year’s resolution.
Have time frames for each small milestone and even have mini self-care rewards for reaching each one. Like a massage or workout pants.
6. Schedule your workouts and meal prep
Factor in your schedule, your current health and abilities, and the time you can spend on diet and exercise when making your goals.
I use To Do and this notepad to form my grocery list and weekly meal schedule.
Google calendar is my best friend for scheduling my workouts. It will even send you reminders to workout!
I recommend doing only 2- 3 days of meal prep at a time. This keeps food fresh and doesn’t steal an entire day to meal prep for a week. This is a personal preference of course so do what works best for your schedule!
7. Don’t go too big too soon
As much as I like ambitious clients it’s better to ease in safe and gradually build up the intensity.
If you are a beginner, it’s a smart idea to get advice from a fitness trainer and learn the proper techniques that you can later apply to your own personal routine.
If you aren’t a beginner, but it’s been a while since you’ve worked out, then a Spartan race two weeks away may need to be pushed back three to six months for proper training.
Convenience is a bonus.
Are you not making it to the gym because you hate the commute? Then you have to find something else that suits you.
Be honest with yourself.
Work out at the park around the corner, in your living room, in your backyard or wherever is convenient and fun for you!
8. Talk positively to yourself
The second you start to get discouraged and allow those negative thoughts to take over is the second you’ll give up.
Think of exercise as a way to thank yourself and to express your abilities, NOT a way to punish yourself for what you ate that day.
When you are exercising, here are some examples of positively speaking to yourself.
“This may be hard but it’s supposed to be hard. I have to push myself to get stronger!”
“It is badass that I am here right now and this will make me feel so good when I’m done!”
“I am doing what is right for my body and it will feel so good when I’m done!”
Always remember how good you feel when you eat well and exercise! Mind, body, and heart…commit to it!
Surround yourself with positive people that want to better themselves.
Same with your social media sites; follow people that inspire you and make you happy and it will rub off on you!
Have you followed my vegan fitness account on Instagram yet?
9. Log and track progress
Logging what you eat and reviewing it will help you see if any areas of your vegan diet or workout routine could be improved. Seeing your progress will also motivate you to achieve your fitness goals!
USE A FITNESS TRACKER.
Use an online app so you can have it on your phone on the go. You can monitor steps, resistance routines, and anything vegan diet-related.
I use Myfitnesspal.
Key points to monitor will be your calories like we spoke of in step 5.
If you want to get more specific you can watch your macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates).
With time, you can rebalance your diet and fine-tune as needed.
MONITOR YOUR WATER INTAKE!
I was shocked at how much I was falling short of my water intake when I started tracking it. I’m now drinking nearly 3 liters a day.
Fitness trackers are little voiceless coaches that help hold us accountable!
JUST DOWNLOAD THAT APP ALREADY!
Making your vegan New Year’s resolutions stick for good
I think that making your routine simple and attainable is the best idea for keeping your vegan fitness resolutions.
Your goals may seem overwhelming now but I believe that re-evaluating them and applying the 9 steps above can make your resolutions stick for good.
How to stay accountable in 2022
If you are stumped on how to get started on your fitness goals, need some further education on obtaining the correct calories and macros on a vegan diet, or even how to get started on your workout plan, you should consider signing up for online coaching.
Peace and Love!
Justine
