Welcome to the Performance Blueprint. End of Quarter 1: Reviewing, refocusing and reclaiming your fitness goals.

The first three months of the year often feel like a blur for many of us. We transition from the high - energy "New year, New me" atmosphere of January into the cold reality of February, and suddenly, we find ourselves already at the end of March?

As we close the chapter on quarter 1 (Q1), It is the perfect time to pause and reflect. In the world of business, Q1 is a period for assessing growth and adjusting strategies. In our world of fitness , PT & Online Coaching, it should be exactly the same, as alot of you would have finished your 3 month training plan. How many workouts did you complete and was your diet 90%, 70% or 50% clean? Did your weekends help or hinder your progress? Whether you've hit every workout or fallen off the wagon entirely, the good news is this milestone is not a deadline - it's a check point. But I would like to add...all of you are fitter, faster, leaner and healthier than you were January 1st, that's for sure!

The reality of the Q1 slump

Statistics often tell a discouraging story, research suggests that by the second week of February, nearly 80% of people have abandoned their new years resolutions. By the end of March, that number climbs even higher. If you feel that you have lost a bit of momentum you had on January 1st, you are not a failure, you are human . Motivation that fuels us in the new year only has a finite resource and is not meant to be 100% all the time. Real progress is not built on the back of excitement; it's built on systems, habits, non negotiables that we agreed and the ability to pivot/adjust when life gets in the way.

The transition into Quarter 2 is your opportunity to stop looking at what you didn't do and start looking at what you will do next. But before we look forward, lets be honest and look back at all the good things that were achieved. Three questions:

STEP 1: The Q1 Review

What went well?

Which exercises in your program have you mastered and improved your strength on? What parts of the diet have managed better e.g. macros, portion control, less refined sugary choices? Did you drink more water, green tea and less alcohol and fizzy drinks? How many sessions were completely when you didn't even want to show up?

Where were the friction points?

Did you struggle with early morning workouts? Did meal prepping become too time consuming? At this point Identifying why a habit didn't stick is more important than the fact that it didn't.

Are my goals still relevant?

Sometimes we set goals in January because we feel we should, not because we want to. If your goals no longer excite you, let's have an honest conversation and find out what really would excite you. Q2 is about to start and the seasons are changing, so perhaps we focus on both your short and long term goals. Time to change up the fitness plan and the exercises you have mastered?

STEP 2: The power of creating a new baseline so you can refocus

One of the biggest mistakes people make at the end of Q1 is trying to make up for "lost time". The truth is you have achieved 70-90% of your fitness goal and might have dropped off at the end. This is normal in a 12 week cycle. First of all, well done for getting as far as you have and secondly, take this improved level of fitness and transfer it to your new training plan in Q2. You might want to take a few days off now like myself to let the central nervous system rest.

Re-baselining means accepting where you are right now. Time to make some adjustments whether its decreasing the weight and improving form instead on some exercises or increasing the weight on others, be honest as it will pay off. If your diet has been inconsistent recently, time to tidy up those cabinets in the kitchen and just change back to healthy options of proteins, carbs and fats. Not all healthy meals have to be exactly the same...you'll drive yourself crazy! New food menus are in order. Success in Q2 is found in consistency, not intensity. Make smart choices again.

Step 3: Refined Goal setting for Q2

As your PT and Online Coach, I want you to try not fixate on "outcome" goals and put your energy in to "process" goals.

Outcome goal: I want to lose 5kg by 1st June - but you can't always control this.

Process goal: I will hit 10,000 steps, 165 grams of protein and 3 litres of water each day, this you can control.

For Q2, choose three process goals, these are three non - negotiables that will move the needle regardless of motivated you feel on any given day.

The role of professional coaching

Many people try to navigate their fitness journey alone, only to find themselves repeating the same as Q1 cycle, every quarter of the year, year in year out. Have you ever heard the phrase "uneducated people do the same thing over and over again and expect different results" well it's literally the definition of insanity.

1-1 and Online Coaching

The reason why I have spent the last 18 years enjoying Personal training and more recently online coaching as a career is because I get to provide immediate accountability and technical expertise to ensure every minute you spend in the gym is effective and not recycling old habits. The Online coaching has improved leaps and bounds as it now provides the structure for the other 23 hours of the day; the nutrition, sleep, stress management, education with e-books, posture and flexibility training in addition to the overall long term training. If I have the privilege of training you this means you no longer have to guess. You do not have to wonder if you are doing too much or to little, you simply follow the roadmap we build together. These blogs are here to help you, answer your questions, educate you in areas you are unsure of and be inspired to be a better athlete and version of yourself.

For all of you who have trained with me for years or have just finished your first 12 week cycle with me, I know you'll be happy with your results. But there is always more we can improve on, get excited about and write down new creative goals. I've certainly been proud of my first 3 month transformation from winter body to spring!

Final thoughts

Reclaiming your goals: the end of Q1 is just a marker in time. Throughout this blog hopefully you have asked yourself enough questions to know whether you achieved 50%, 70% or 90% progress. You have defined the first quarter of the year but how will the second quarter look by the end of June?

REST, REFOCUS AND RECLAIM. TAKE WHAT YOU DID IN Q1 AND ACHIEVE NEW GOALS AND NEW HEIGHTS IN Q2.

Rick

Your 1-1 & Online Coach.