by: Tyler Quinn
I won’t go so far as to say that New Year’s resolutions are stupid, but I will strongly encourage you to consider an alternative approach to setting your year up for success. In fact, research conducted at the T.Q. Institute for Human Improvement, or TQIHI, dating back to 1986 shows that nearly 92% of all resolutions fizzle out before February 9th. And, since we can surely trust the work conducted at such a fine international think tank, oughtn’t we to ponder a different, more fruitful approach to kicking ass in 2018?
Of course we should. So let’s do it.
But first!
A little over a year ago I sat in my living room with a cast on my leg as I healed up from a broken fibula and tibia. For people like me, who tend to move more than they sit on a given day, combining immobility with the throes of winter meant sinking deeper and deeper into depression and self-pity with each passing minute. The one saving grace I found was in the freedom of my Percocet-laden daydreams, in which I was back on two feet, exercising, and PYL-ing to my heart’s delight.
To bring those daydreams into slightly more focused picture, I pulled out a computer, and, skipping right past resolutions, built a list of tasks I was resolute on completing before year’s end. Some of them were physical, having to do with my recovery. Some were intellectual, some financial but all were specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely (SMART). Throughout the year, I made updates to the document to keep myself in line and come year’s end, I was proud to have completed the vast majority of my PYL list.
So this new year, ask yourself what it is you’re going to do in 2018 and get to work. Some things you’ll be able to literally get off your butt finish in just a day or two, other things will take some strategic planning. But either way, before you come up with a single vague resolution, consider creating a SMART list, so comprehensive and diversified that come December 31st, 2018, you’ll look back proudly on yet another trip around the sun!
I would like to think that for some of you reading this, at least one or two of the items on your list would include or relate to fitness. Furthermore, I would like to think that we, your humble Alchemy staff, are to play a role in the completion of those goals. So let me close with a shameless plug – if you want to make a fitness goal a part of your annual plan, consider starting with some research by signing up for our next A101 on January 20-21. Want your first kipping pull up? A101. Want to learn how to kick up your daily intensity levels in class? A101. Want the tools necessary to put 20 lbs on your back squat, or lose 10 lbs off your body? A101.
As strongly as I discourage the looseness and intangibility of the traditional New Year’s resolution, I am an equally strong believer in the freshness of the season, and the fervent energy one can feel in the boundless opportunities that lay ahead of us.
Before that energy dissipates and gives out underneath you, capture it in stone. Set your list. Smart each item. If fitness is woven in somehow, talk to a coach or front desk worker about our next A101 but even if it isn’t, let us help you as you cross them off, one by one.
2018. PYL.
A101 is a two-day deep dive into all things Alchemy. Learn to move better, understand Alchemy workouts, break down some of the more complicated movements you’ll see in our studios and have a great time doing it. https://alchemy365.com/
Tyler Quinn is a Coach and founder of Alchemy and the mastermind behind all Alchemy programming. In his spare he enjoys reading, gun-slinging, jiu-jitsu, and playing with his Golden Retriever, Fletcher.
