Easter falls very early this year, on the 1st April in fact... and no, that is not an April fool!
The good thing about an early Easter is that all the ‘after Easter’ procrastination and excuses that we fitness professionals hear year upon year are put to bed nice and early, clearing the way for a long and strong build up to optimal summer health.
Yes, in a perfect world, we would be super healthy all year round, but in reality, these little milestone dates are useful.
January is always a push fitness-wise, the key is to make this push last as long as possible, hopefully well into February (the average is 2.5 weeks so just do the best you can!).
Then, Easter is the next push. People always make an extra effort after Easter as they feel that they finally have an unobstructed view of summer, and also, the prospect of having to actually wear a bikini or (unintentionally) tight swimming shorts, which seemed so far away in January, crystallises...
The lacklustre last half of the year is often boosted with a September ‘back to school’ pump, to try and shift the classic ‘all-inclusive’ stored calories. In my experience however, the last half of the year, in particular from October through to December, often descends into a blur of people stating to each other how ‘time really flies’ in between nights out and an increasingly unhealthy diet until Christmas and New Year return and the whole thing repeats.
So, I guess what I am saying, in a rather long winded fashion, is that we are nearing THE best time to get fit in the year. Forget New Year, forget September, this is it. And this year it’s nice and early, giving us the best possible chance of smashing Q2 like never before.
In fact, the date of Easter has so conveniently split the year into quarters, that I want you to get a piece of paper out now and do, possibly your first ever, Q1 review! What went well, what didn’t, what are you proud of and what not so much, and how did you do towards your health goals... make some notes, then get a new piece out and write Q2 at the top.
Now brainstorm everything you intend to do this quarter, businesses do it, so why shouldn’t people do it too?! Write out plans, objectives, goals, people to see, jobs to do, places to go AND of course what you are going to do for your health and fitness to ensure you look and feel your absolute best when summer arrives.
Because Easter is so early, this Q2 wave of awesomeness you will be riding come the end of June can easily be carried forward another 4-6 weeks until the actual summer holidays are upon us, which is an extra bonus, and you will hardly even notice it.
So there it is, keep the January wave rolling as far as you can then relax, plan, and get ready for the best 3 months of health, fitness and life ‘sorting out’ that 2018 has to offer!
Go and make me proud!
Rob