New Year resolutions are likely one of the most common commitments that happen in January. But how much can one actually accomplish in 2024?
It’s a question that’s not as easy or as difficult as it might sound. What happens when we resolve to make a fantastic or substantial change and or personal transformation and then suddenly, things seem to fall flat or simply fall apart altogether?
Other commitments seem to take priority.
- Financial responsibilities.
- Family distractions and or obligations.
- Time constraints.
There’s a greater cost associated with achieving goals than one originally calculated.
- Gym membership and or cost of workout equipment.
- Acquiring help from fitness professionals.
- Eating more healthy.
Results just don’t seem to appear as quickly as one hoped for.
With all these challenges it can sometimes seem overwhelming and or discouraging and tends to return to the question:
How much can one ACTUALLY see accomplished during this time?
The reality is there’s an equation that might bring insight to the durations and investments associated. Let’s take a look.
So each week there can be one of two goals accomplished. Either two pounds of at lost OR one pound of muscle gained. The numbers for each one are based upon the laws of thermodynamics, which makes the progression distinct and relative to effort implemented.
For example, if a 195-pound male eats 2340 calories in a single day, and exercises for one hour and fifteen minutes they should be able to lose one or two pounds per week. OR, if the same male eats 2925 calories and exercises for a solid hour they can gain about a pound of muscle per week.
Is this rule only universal to a 195-pound male? No, not at all. It’s fairly easy to determine how much the numbers need to be adjusted based on body weight, given the fact that one pound of body fat has a value of 3500 calories and one pound of muscle has a value of 2500 calories.
This allows a person to estimate basil metabolic intake with two numbers (relatively speaking).
12 calories for Fat Loss and 14 calories for muscle gain.
For example, a 150-pound person wants to lose weight and when one allows 12 calories per pound of body weight they would get a caloric assignment of 1800 calories. For muscle gain, they would assign 15 calories per pound of body weight which results in an assignment of 2250 calories for muscle gain.
Is this an absolute equation that is the end-all and be-all of fitness programming design? Not by a long shot, BUT it signifies an important element.
The assignment of roughly 2.3 minutes of program design yielded something that often eludes most people during a new Year resolution: A PLAN.
Just as the age-old adage fail to plan, plan on failing yields an early demise of a New Year’s resolution via any multitude of rationale such as lack of time, money, or motivation, it’s easier to see how even fifteen minutes of planning can be an incredible start to incorporating more follow through than ever before and a greater degree of success.
After all, what is 12 weeks of sticking to some base numbers and several workouts a week? That’s nearly 24 pounds…
