Fitness & Exercise
Your Free December Workout Schedule
Dec
Your free workout schedule for December is loaded with fun (if you workout with me, you know “fun” translates to “sweat”). There’s no time like NOW to get a head start on all of your New Year’s Resolutions and goals. Let’s go!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
I love December. The magic of fresh snow, crackling fires, family feasts and the excuse to feel like a kid all the time. Sing me up.
This is about the time that I really start reflecting on the year. I’m 34. I don’t have time for bogus resolutions. And if I didn’t hit my goals in 2021, I want to know why. There’s no point in making the same mistakes – letting the same obstacles – get in the way of achieving what you really want out of 2022.
Why not set yourself up for succes?
5 Tips for Making Resolutions that You Can Keep
Statistically speaking not many people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions. But you’re not a statistic. You’re you. And these tips will help you make the kinds of resolutions that you can achieve!
#1 Focus on Positivity
Often, goals and resolutions come from a place of negativity. We decide we have to lose weight or stop eating junk food out of a place of self-criticism. There’s a vibe of inadequacy and fear surrounding negative-based goals. And while that can work as a motivator for a time, it won’t last forever.
This year, focus on the positive reasons that you want to make a change. More energy. Improved quality of life. Happiness. Confidence. Just writing those words puts a smile on my face!
Resetting the way that you structure your goals by placing a positive spin on them restructures your sense of self. You start to believe that you can achieve this thing – and that it is worth-while – instead of thinking that you have to.
#2 Get SMART
Smart goals are: specific, measurable, attainable, relative and time-bound. Setting SMART goals keeps you organized, on course and motivated.
Get specific. What exactly do you want? If you want to lose weight, how much? What kind of weight (does it matter if you lose muscle and bone mass along the way)? Do you want to eat healthier? Does that mean eat one fewer bag of chips a week or does that mean eat zero bags of chips a week.
p.s. the answer to the above question about muscle mass and bone is “no.
Make it measurable. If you can’t check a box when you’re done, how are you going to know it’s done? This is important whether your goal is pounds lost in a month, workouts finished in a week, ounces of water consumed in a day or hours slept in a night.
Is it attainable? Are you setting a goal that is blown out of proportion, or is your goal actually achievable? Attainability is important because if you set a goal that is impossible to achieve in the time allotted, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Don’t do that!
Relate to your goal. You made the goal, you must relate to it, right? Not necessarily. The world inundates you with it’s own standards, goals and expectations. It’s easy to absorb them and believe that’s what you want. But is it? Make sure that the goal you set for yourself is 100% about what you want for your body and life.
Stick to a time table. It’s a New Year’s Resolution so you might be tempted to set that time limit to 2023. I encourage you to tighten up that schedule a bit. 365 days is a long time. It’s hard to stay motivated about a goal that you have to wait that long to decide whether or not you succeeded. Break your big goal (that year long goal) down into smaller parts. What can you do in 3 months? What can you do this week?
#3 Make a Plan (not just a goal)
Goals are wonderful, but they represent the finish line. There are a lot of steps between here, start, and there, finish. Those steps are important.
Breaking your big goals down into smaller goals and individual steps helps you not only to progress and gain momentum, it helps you visualize success. Formulate a solid plan with checkpoints and specific steps. Once you attain one win, you’re more likely to go after the next.
#4 Find a Support Group
Support and accountability are two of the most underrated factors in your success. Tell your friends and family about your goals. Ask them to support you or even better, ask them if they want to join you!
Go one step further by seeking out others who have very similar goals to you. In my Fully Fit Transformation Challenge, for example, we’re all going after the same thing. There’s a support group and we meet on a weekly basis to celebrate our wins, work through the obstacles and figure out what needs to happen next. You’re not alone!
#5 Plan Milestone Rewards
Don’t wait to reward yourself. Celebrate the small wins. It will keep you motivated and excited to keep pushing forward.
Your Free December Workout Schedule
Keep an eye out this month for fun virtual classes (cues and laughter along the way), and an intro to Fully Fit, which launches on January 1!
There are some new workouts on the schedule this month! I’m excited to share a few new workout styles with you. Remember, this workout schedule is flexible. Feel free to shift things around to make it work for you.
Monday – my favorite way to start a Monday is with Tabata. It’s a high intensity workout jam packed with cardio and strength training. Studies prove it’s one of the best fat loss workout styles around.
Tuesday – we’re all about upper body on Tuesdays. But beyond the focus, style’s up for grabs! First we’re using dumbbells. Next we’re going full throttle body weight and cardio. These are great workouts if you’re looking to tone and tighten your arms and back1
Wednesday – Hump Day! I like to fit in a little bit of cardio on Wednesdays if possible. Shuffle workouts around depending on what your goal is. If you want to improve general fitness – do more steady state cardio. If you’re looking to build muscle and shed a bit of fat – go with HIIT!
Thursday – hump day…again? Yes, but only if Fergie is singing. Thursdays are leg day at Julia Hale Fitness. If you’ve ever taken a class with me, you know that I like to push it on Thursdays. You’re legs are strong. It takes a lot of work to force them to build!
Friday – think of Friday as Grab Bag day. Typically, it’s a shorter, more focused workout.
Saturday – always total body, always fun. We’ll do some HIIT. Some core training. Some mobility work. Saturday is the day to bring it all together and fill in any of the gaps that you might have missed during the week.
Sunday – every girl deserves a break! Focus on active rest after a long week of workouts. There’s a link on the 27th to one of my recent core challenges – and there’s more where that came from. Head over to my YouTube channel to check out my 5-minute flow, or any of the “tamer” mobility workouts.
p.s. Here Comes Fully Fit!
I’m SUPER excited to announce the first official launch of my 8-Week Transformation Challenge – Fully Fit – on January 1st!
I tested out this exercise, nutrition and lifestyle coaching program over the summer and WOW the results were amazing. Of the ladies who completed the entire program everyone lost at least 5 pounds. 2 babes actually lost 12 pounds in 60 days. Inches lost off the waist. PRs hit left and right!
It was so much fun.
And of course I’ve been tweaking it since August to perfect the resources, workouts and meal plans. Signing up for the 8-week transformation program gives you access to:
- a private training portal loaded with your workouts, workout schedule and exercise videos
- tailored calorie and macro programming
- sample meal plans
- delicious and healthy recipes
- healthy eating resources and strategies
- weekly focuses and challenges
- Sunday Coffee Chats with yours truly
- 24/7 trainer access
- a support group full of women looking to crush their goals, just like you!
