Celeb Trainer Harley Pasternak Says Skip the Resolutions
Last week, my wife asked me what my New Year’s resolution was going to be for this year. My answer? For 2015, my resolution is not to have a resolution.
For some reason, people commit to “change their lives” starting January 1st—not sooner. But if you think something in your life needs to change, why wait? This year, America’s #1 resolution is to lose weight (it was the same in 2013 and 2014), but making a once-a-year promise is not the way to do it. Over 30% of people give up on their resolutions before the end of January, and another 30% quit before the end of May. In fact, only 8% of people regularly succeed in keeping the promises they made as that ball dropped.
Related: Harley Pasternak—The Man Behind Hollywood’s Best Bodies
If you want to lose weight, tone up, and get stronger, here is the advice I share with the celebrities I train. These 5 tips are designed to make healthy living part of your every day life—not just a one-time thing.
1. Change one small thing. Too often people plan on making overly drastic changes to their lives, changes that they inevitably fail at sustaining. If you want to eat a little better, don’t make your resolution to become a raw vegan or train for a marathon—make it something like substitute your morning frappuccino for a skim milk cappuccino. Or get off the subway one stop earlier. My client Jessica Simpson added thousands of steps a day—and transformed her body— just by adding more neighborhood family walks in each week.
2. Begin today. Don’t wait for January to begin your journey to a fitter you. Start immediately. Tonight after dinner, walk around your block three times (it’s a start!).
Related: How One In-Demand Fitness Instructor Eats
3. There is strength in numbers. Having friends with similar goals will only make you more successful. You are more likely to stick to your goal, if you have someone else motivating you. One of the reasons my clients succeed at their goals, is they have me inspiring, and pushing them. You don’t need to have a trainer—a buddy can help motivate you too. My client couples like Megan Fox and Brian Green, Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo, and Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, often workout together. They are also incredibly supportive of one another when it comes to eating well. It works.
4. Get the right tools. A comfortable pair of sneakers, a pedometer, or a kick butt blender will make eating better and moving more that much easier.
Related: How Your Diet is Making You Look and Feel Tired
5. Focus on the process. This is my number one tip for my clients. Since we were kids, we’ve been hard-wired to be goal-oriented, but it can actually hurt your progress if your goals feel too out of reach, or if you judge your success on the outcome of one goal. If you focus on the process, methods, and techniques you use working toward the goal—like how many steps you take each day, getting enough protein, fiber, and healthy fat in your diet, and sleeping at least seven hours a night—studies show you’ll be more successful. Celebrate how hard you’re working and how dedicated you are, rather than how close you’ve come to an end goal. This technique is a great self-motivator.
