Turn Your New Year's Resolution Into a Lifestyle Change
Every new year is an opportunity to start off fresh, break out of your cocoon and be a new you. Some of the most common New Year’s resolutions center around picking up a new hobby, eating a little healthier, and overall just taking better care of your mind and body. Rock Climbing is a great way to bring movement and exercise into your life, so many people choose to add climbing or climbing training to their list of resolutions!
The most difficult thing about meeting your New Year’s resolutions is sticking to them. If you’ve already been giving your goals more slack than you intended, know that you’re not alone. Some 80% of all New Year’s resolutions fail or are given up by the second week of February! The best way to ensure success in your resolutions is to not treat them like a temporary chore to be done, but to turn them into a manageable, realistic lifestyle change.
So how do we make your climbing resolution into a lifestyle change?
Don't Get Injured - When starting a brand new activity, it’s important to remember that your body needs time to adjust. To help with the adjustment, make sure to perform warm-up exercises before starting your climbing session, every time. Warming up helps not only reduce the risk of injury, but also improves performance. You should also make sure that you are getting adequate rest and are listening to your body. We’re climbers — we understand how your psych for the sport can easily lead to you wanting to climb 5 days in a row! But even 2 days in a row of climbing at your limit is enough to warrant rest. Remember that an injury can sideline you for months at a time, and you’re not likely to stick to your lifestyle change if you have to put it on the backburner for a while. It might not seem fun to build rest days into your schedule, but a rest day here and there will benefit you more than it will bore you. Stay healthy, and stay climbing!
Don’t be so Serious - It’s easy to get upset when you are not progressing as fast as you’d like, or if you find yourself unable to complete a move you think should be well within your reach. Just remember that whether you’re new to the sport, new to a skill, or trying to push your limits and get stronger — you’re climbing because you find it fun! When you’re frustrated, take a step back and remember that you’re here to enjoy yourself, be social and be healthier. Progress is the goal, but it’s not always linear. And if you take climbing too seriously and put too much emphasis on short term lulls, you might lose the ability to find the fun and stop climbing— and no one wants that!
Toss Out the Words “Cheat Days” - Having an off day and skipping a workout is totally fine, and it is important because it means you are listening to your body. When we label it a “cheat day” or “cheat week” however, it puts a shameful stigma on it. If the anxiety or guilt associated with this is great enough, it can snowball into two weeks, a month, two months… and before you know it, you’re just not climbing anymore. It is easier to nip it in the bud by not calling them cheat days — rather, intentionally create and be accepting of a flexible schedule.
Be Social - Finding a climbing partner is a great way to stay consistent at the gym because you have someone to be accountable to. It will help instill in you the motivation to get out of the house and go to the gym. Additionally, it is always great to see a familiar face and have someone to socialize with in between climbs. Having fun and enjoying yourself makes it easier to stick with the activity too!
If you want to give climbing a try, come check out Toprock Climbing! Our friendly staff are more than happy to show you around. It’s always amazing to see our community grow and for us to know others are finding climbing as much fun as we do — and we can help motivate you to stick to your goals ;)