Coach Nick Johnson founded and runs Crossfit Liminal, a Clarkston-area nonprofit gym focused on fitness and nutrition coaching. Nick takes an “everyone’s welcome” approach, making Liminal a great place for seasoned athletes and beginners alike. Each new year, he sees many well-intentioned folks make grand plans for their health, only to burn out a week or two later. If we’re honest, many of us have been in that frustrating position at least once, if not most years.
To combat this common trend,
Coach Nick’s got 3 Tips for achieving and SUSTAINING your health goals for 2024.
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Tip # 1: When it comes to exercise, we need to be looking for 3 main criteria: fun, community, and accountability.
- Fun: We’ve all slogged our way through a workout, run, or swim at some point or other. Nothing puts the brakes on a solid workout plan like personal dread. Sure, it may be hard, but there should be enjoyable elements too. Maybe for you it’s upbeat music, dance, or good company. But whatever routine or style you pick, be sure there’s some fun involved!
- Community: Exercising alone can sometimes lead to more challenging workouts, but there’s growing evidence that exercising with a partner or group actually lowers stress, creates a greater quality of life, and leads to more regular workouts. Of course, being with others can be fun, but there’s also a competitive element that may have positive effects on goal achievement. Community also tends to be a great form of accountability.
- Accountability: Let’s face it, no matter how fun a workout program may be, there will be days we’d rather hit snooze. There’s nothing wrong with rest (in fact it’s incredibly important!) but keeping to our plan sometimes–often?–requires a helping hand. Whether it’s a coach (like Nick) texting you, or a workout buddy reminding you about your upcoming workout, accountability is key.
Tip # 2: Good nutrition is vital, so find ways to outsource and make it convenient.
Two major hurdles to good nutrition are planning and shopping: “What will I make and how will I find the time to buy it?” Crossfit Liminal and many other gyms offer nutritional coaching as an integral part of their wholistic approach to health and wellness. Find a gym, app, or friend who can help with the nutrition planning process. This includes helping identify an ideal diet, meal logging, and even recipe writing.
When it comes to simplifying the shopping process, Nick looks to Fresh Harvest for his weekly local, organic grocery delivery. As a 3+ year customer, he loves the convenience of ordering Fresh Harvest’s nutrient dense produce box online. Nick often adds local pasture-raised meats, eggs, dairy and all the Georgia farmer’s market staples to his fully customizable order. And the best part? It all comes delivered to his door, saving time and removing the temptation to fill up on over-processed, unhealthy snacks at the grocery store.
Georgia residents: Fresh Harvest is offering $25 off your first basket as a risk free way to give them a try. Just use code CROSSFITLIMINAL at checkout
Tip # 3: Start small, sustainable health is a marathon not a sprint.
Maybe the most important tip of all, over-ambitious goals are the death knell to long-term health. Coach Nick says that instead of making a goal to workout every day as a beginner, you should aim for a couple days in the gym. In terms of nutrition, he says to avoid attempts at removing entire food groups, but rather to focus on adding in something good to your diet. Maybe it’s a cup of vegetables with each dinner, drinking a glass of water a couple times a day, or cooking your own healthy breakfast on Saturdays. Start small. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Curious about Crossfit Liminal? They’re offering a free intro class to help you determine if they’re right for you! When you attend the free class AND sign up for Fresh Harvest, Coach Nick will provide you with a free personalized nutrition packet (usually $50).
