There Is A Method to the Madness
This is a podcast where I will be discussing all aspects of physical fitness. I am an exercise physiologist and personal trainer and owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs for the last 25 years. My passion is health and fitness and I am excited to share my views, some stories, interviews and much more with you.
There Is A Method to the Madness
Transform Your New Year's Resolutions: Achievable Goals and Behavior Change with Rob Maxwell
Welcome to. There is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell. I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I'm the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994.
Speaker 1:The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work. Why things work, we got to trust the science and trust the experience and get our advice where people kind of know what they're talking about. I think this podcast is one of those sources. Today I'm going to talk about New Year's resolutions and goal setting. Before I get to that, let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilden of the Gilden Group at Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service and home sales. Why don't you give them a call? Figure out what your house is worth? 386-451-2412.
Speaker 1:All right, so it's just before New Year's coming up. Today is December 30th. I think that's when this show is coming out as well, but anyway, it's just before the New Year. It doesn't really matter how many days before. It is just before and most people, or a lot of people, are setting their New Year's resolution. Some people are doing it super formally, some people are thinking about it and possibly posting some things on social media. Some people are just thinking about new goals, things they want to accomplish. Look, none of these things are bad, and I can remember in my younger days like going through an elaborate process at the end of the year. I was kind of like in this kick of following some of Stephen Covey's models which are very good, by the way but like real elaborate way of planning out all of my goals. All great.
Speaker 1:I think goals are really important. You know, I often say, though, it's about getting better better from where you are and better in areas that you need to get better at. But in regards to New Year's resolutions, I mean, do they work? Because doesn't? Isn't that what this comes down to? All of these things like, does it work?
Speaker 1:So many people argue on social media about different things and people go back and forth whether things are wrong or whether things are right, and I sit back often and go, yeah, but does it work? I mean, that's the important part, and if you look at the science, the social sciences on New Year's resolutions, you would see that the data pretty much says no. It's kind of like when somebody sets one of those elaborate goals, you know how often do they achieve it and, most importantly, like, do they continue to do it? So the answer on the New Year's resolutions, goals, is no. Are there outliers that might state that a person is extremely successful every end of December, early January, to where they set some goal, up to where it's going to be, I don't know. I'm going to, you know, lose 30 pounds and I'm going to do it by doing this this year. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure there are outliers out there where somebody has a really good, intricate program that works for them, but most of the data says that for most people it does not work.
Speaker 1:So am I being pessimistic? Am I being negative? Absolutely not. I'm positive. I'm always trying to be positive in this show.
Speaker 1:I want people to do things in a way that will help them to follow the science, to figure out a better way to go. You know, instead of, like, always trusting these opinions on social media or mainstream media or whatever it is like, so much of it is opinion, there are people that are just repeating what they heard from other people. I like to go to the sources. So what do the social scientists say regarding goal setting? Like, why don't we learn to always go to the sources of what we're looking for, like quit following what Bobby Joe says on Facebook regarding diet, and why don't we like go to where dietitians and physicians and physiologists and people like that are telling you about diet? I mean, too often we are caught up in other people's opinions and kind of chasing after the wrong people. So why don't we learn to not do that? Why don't we get back to trusting experts? Because you know, most experts have gone to school and have had a lot of experience doing certain things. So I think that's just, personally, a better way to go. So what does the science say?
Speaker 1:The science says that, instead of like setting some elaborate resolution, that typically doesn't work. It's kind of like if you've had an alcoholic in your family, or if you have one or been one or are one, you know that typically, oftentimes, when somebody wants to drink, they say, oh, I'm never going to drink again, and then they do, so that doesn't seem to work. So what tends to work with people changing their behavior? What we found in the case of resolutions or long-term goal setting is number one you have to control what you can control what you have. Absolute control over, absolute control over. So, for example, a lot of people are going to say they resolve to lose a certain amount of weight in 2025. And will they? I don't know. Will they? And keep it off this? Statistics say no. So you know, most likely not.
Speaker 1:But when you really get down to it and I want you to pay attention to this very, very carefully because it's important you don't have 100% over control over whether or not you lose weight. You don't have a hundred percent control over that. Like, there are things that go on in your metabolism. There are so many physiological processes that are going on that you don't have 100% control over it. You have control, but here's the key. Here's the key to this whole podcast. What you have control over is your actions.
Speaker 1:So, instead of saying you're going to lose 30 pounds, think about a person that you might know or a person that you want to be in the case of maintaining a nice steady weight, a nice healthy weight, whatever that is in your mind, think about who they might be. Or maybe it was you at one point. Maybe this isn't you at all, maybe there are other goals. I'm just giving you example of weight loss. What are their actions? So, instead of saying I want to do this. Think, okay, what is the type of person that maintains this weight? What do they do? So the science of goal setting says, if you can fine tune it down to what your 100% control over is, figure it out like 100% control over is. Figure it out Like what do you have control over, whatever the goal is, and then do that behavior, that is absolutely your best shot at reaching your goal. Or if you want to keep it to the New Year's story, then your New Year's resolution. So what do they do? Think about it.
Speaker 1:So a person that maintains their weight sure you can say, oh, they have good genetics and all this. But look, after a certain amount of time, like I don't know, just throw this number out there After the age of, say, 40, all that stuff kind of catches up. I mean, yeah, there's always a genetic link with weight loss and many other things. Most studies show it's no higher than 25% though. So in other words, 25% of our weight loss or weight gain is genetic at the most, the very most. So that leaves 75% of it upon us. So a lot of it after 40 kind of catches up.
Speaker 1:And then it comes down to how are the eating habits. Like you know, after 40, I mean somebody is if they're keeping their weight off, they're doing a lot of things, right, right, so what are those things? I mean they probably eat in moderation, like they don't binge. They probably eat consistent meals per day and don't wait till they're hungry, which that's one of the things that, like people, get so wrong. They say, oh, you know, I'm not hungry. Well, guess what? Nobody is. Well, I shouldn't say nobody. There are people in poorer parts of the world and people on the streets that, legitimately, are hungry, but typically you don't really feel hunger for over 48 hours, so nobody's really hungry. What they do is they have an appetite. An appetite tells you when you want to eat. Well, oftentimes people say they don't have an appetite and maybe they don't because they're busy or they're stressed or they're not thinking about it, but that's no excuse.
Speaker 1:Somebody who maintains their weight year in and year out doesn't wait for how they feel they eat at certain times during the day. They eat scheduled. They typically eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and many eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in two small stacks Snacks or stacks Stacks of potatoes, no snacks, stacks snacks or stacks stacks potatoes, no snacks. So model after what people are doing right, be that person who hits those goals. Somebody who maintains their weight most likely exercises on a regular basis. They have a nice habit of walking every morning, or maybe they jog every morning. Somebody who maintains their weight most likely has a sport. Maybe they play golf, maybe they play tennis, maybe they play pickleball, maybe they swim, but they have a sport many, not all, that they follow. So there are habits that we can pick up for our goals and instead of saying I want to do this, say I want to be this person because I have 100% control over these actions, I can do this. Today I feel oh, you know, I don't really feel like eating now. I want to lose weight. So I'm going to do this because you know Bobby Joe down at the shop, you know this is what he does when he loses weight.
Speaker 1:I mean, how many times do people follow unsuccessful people down the same path? I mean the classic case of the blind leading the blind. It happens all the time. The people with the biggest, loudest mouths on diet are typically the ones who are finding some success just right now on the latest diet that they're on, and they're sitting around the lunch table telling everybody about their miraculous diet that helped them lose 30 pounds, and everybody forgets that it's the same person that did this two years ago. But yet, I mean, the problem isn't them giving their success stories. The problem is people listening and go, oh, I'm going to do that instead of going. Well, wait a minute. This person has struggled since I've known them and now I'm going to follow them on yet another diet. I mean, why not go to the experts on these things? So don't model after that person that's finding short-term success for the 100th time. Model after somebody who has found success year in and year out.
Speaker 1:And if you look at their behaviors and characteristics, if you're overweight, you will find that they are probably very different than yours. They probably don't drink and if they do, they definitely don't drink in excess. As I already stated, they most likely have a daily exercise routine that most likely begins in the morning. They most likely have a sport that they follow so they can stay active throughout the day, because I saw a statistic recently that said that our ancestors now our hunter and gatherer ancestors. So we're going way, way, way back. They moved 12 times more than we did. 12 times more, okay, not 100%, 200%, 1,200% more than we do. They moved that much more right.
Speaker 1:So what do we want to do with our goals? What do we want to do with our new year's resolutions? I picked on weight loss a little bit because it's so common, but maybe it's something else. Maybe it's you want to become better at a particular sport. You resolve to finally master your golf game. Okay, so what do people do that? Do that? I mean, I hate to say it, and I think golfers know this. They play a ton of golf. So do you have time for that? Like I'm just throwing things out there. What is it for you? Figure it out, like maybe you want to be way better with your time management. Well, if that's the case, again figure out what people do who are known to be very efficient with their time, and I think we know that. Like as soon as I said that aloud, I thought of a couple different people that are just so good with their time. How do I know? Well, when their workout appointment comes, they're like dead on there. I'll throw one out there right now.
Speaker 1:Jake, I see him this morning at seven o'clock and like he gets there at six, 59 or seven every time he works out. I mean, it's amazing, not you know, six, 47, when his appointments at seven and he's pacing in the parking lot. Or you know, he knows, behind the door I'm steaming cause I'm trying to finish my freaking shake and somebody's early banging on the door. No, he doesn't do that. And he doesn't pop in at 7.05 because he understands, or you know, I don't know if he does understand that we have clients right after him. Like, I don't think that's his motivation. I think his motivation is to be on time, because that's what he does. And then as we talk, talk, I get to learn more about his punctuality. And he talks about well, I do this and I do this. So that's how I know.
Speaker 1:So, right away again, model after somebody. I'm just giving examples, like what is it you resolve to do? Figure out who does these things successfully. Don Don't follow unsuccessful. I mean that's the blind leading the blind, all right. Don't follow that. Follow people who are successful, all right. And, by the way, let me, let me pick on my math skills, because ever since I said, it's been bugging me Twelve hundred percent, not 12,000. So there you go, but 12 times more they used to move. So what does that mean? I mean getting back to that goal.
Speaker 1:People who lost weight maintain weight. They move a lot. So we have to figure out are these behaviors in our control? Are they? I pause because I want you to think about it Are they in our control? Then that's what we have to do. So recap Number one when you set your resolutions, make sure you're 100% in control of the outcome.
Speaker 1:Number two pick behavior changes, the person you want to be. Figure out what it is and model it. And, by the way, you got to stick to it. Don't think it's going to work in a week. It's going to take discipline to stick to these new behaviors, but you could do it. It is far worth it.
Speaker 1:In the over 30 years that I've been doing working with people in personal training and wellness and things like this you know I've seen so much success. So people can change. People can lose weight. People can drop their blood pressure. People can get better at their hobbies and sports. People can become better at time management. People can become meditators. People can learn yoga practice. Like people can change. It's really awesome to see and every time they do, they model a new behavior. All right, now let me thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach. Jeff and Zach Koch are phenomenal clients. I've seen Zach recently change, losing 25 pounds, how he's following a new meal plan that he decided to ask me about and make sure that I'm getting him on the right road and he is losing that weight. He was already in good shape, but they have the best garage door company in Volusia County. Why don't you check them out at 386-222-3165.
