Who actually keeps New Year’s resolutions?
If you’re screaming ME at the computer right now then please let me know – I want whatever you’ve got.
I’m not a quitter by any means but there’s something about New Year’s resolutions that I struggle to stick to. It might be something to do with the fact that at the start of the New Year people tend to go BIG. I think this is where I, along with a lot of other people, probably fall down.
It’s great to have goals but making your resolution something which you know deep down isn’t going to be manageable or even achievable is essentially setting yourself up for a fall.
I’ve decided to take a different approach this year and break my resolutions down in to month long goals to take on a different challenge or adopt a new habit each month.
Dane suggested the idea after we completed just over three weeks of the 100 burpees challenge (blog post to come on that soon). I love the idea of pushing my body and at the same time improving my fitness and endurance so this was the perfect idea.
I declare January as Kettlebell Month.
Taken from Dan John’s 10,000 Swings Kettlebell Workout, our challenge will be to complete 1,000 swings a week which works out at something like 142 a day.
I’ll be doing mine with a 20kg bell whilst Dane will be using a heavier one and we’ll be doing Russian swings.
Dan John suggests breaking the swings up in to manageable sets and increasing the number of reps each time. For example 100 swings is broken down like this:
Set 1: 10 reps
Set 2: 15 reps
Set 3: 25 reps
Set 4: 50 reps
He also suggests introducing a low volume strength movement between sets such as tricep dips, goblet squats or chin-ups. It would work like this:
After set 1 – 1 rep
After set 2 – 2 reps
After set 3 – 3 reps
After set 4 – 4 reps
Rest 3 minutes or so after the entire four sets are completed with 30-60 seconds rest between sets.
You might not feel as though you need 30 seconds rest between set one and set two but trust me, when set four rolls around you’ll be glad of the rest. 50 unbroken swings after the other 50 is harder than it looks.
So that’s Kettlebell Month – I can’t wait to get started. Other monthly challenges for 2015 will include swimming, yoga and handstands. I won’t be neglecting my running though as 2015 is going to be a BIG year running wise for me.
Here’s what I achieved in 2014:
– I ran my first marathon in 3.53
– I took part in my first 24 hour race, the Adidas Thunder Run 24 Hour and ran 31 miles.
– Along with my friend Jim I completed my first trail half-marathon, the Dalby Forest No Ego Run.
– I can officially say I’m a Tough Mudder
– I joined a running club and I started CrossFit.
Here’s what I want to achieve in 2015:
– Remain injury free!
– Run a sub 3.45 marathon
– Run a marathon abroad (Guten Tag Berlin Marathon!)
– Run my first ultra-marathon
Let me know what your 2015 goals are. You can Tweet me @hannahbryan91 email me hbryan91@gmail.com or follow me on Instagram @hbryan91
Happy New Year 🙂
Hannah's Happy Pace 