Tips to Keeping Your New Year’s Fitness Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions can be used to make permanent healthy changes. The challenging aspect of this is that the motivation often dies out before someone gets the chance to reach their goals. There are several tips that make it possible to follow through with New Year’s Resolutions.
At Zero Gravity Fitness in Ocoee, we can help you stick to your New Year’s fitness resolution. Whether you’re aiming to lose weight, add muscle, build stamina or anything in between, our fitness staff can help you reach your goals. Let 2015 be your healthiest year, and let Zero Gravity Fitness help you get there. Contact Zero Gravity Fitness today to find out more. Here are some effective ideas that can bring on some inspiration.
Set Reachable Goals
It is easy to jot down 20 different New Year’s resolutions. Although it is good to have the desire to make these many changes, in the long run it does nothing but cause discouragement. Instead of a list of scattered goals, it is better to focus on a few important things. What is something that currently desperately needs a change? These are the things to focus on. For example, it helps to set clear goals that are attainable such as losing 20 pounds in six months or running for 30 minutes, 4 days a week. Attempting to lose 20 pounds in a month is a bit much, which can end up in disappointment. Setting goals that are reachable helps a person be able to maintain them.
Get Up If You Fall
Everybody fails at some point! If everyone realizes this at the beginning of the year, it is less likely to cause a big hindrance in their goals. If you missed the gym for a couple of days, it is better to make the decision to go than to spend a few more days beating yourself up.
There are times when everybody makes bad decisions, the key to making good decisions is just that- to make good decisions! If it has been a week full of bad choices, one good choice breaks that cycle. Fitness is a life-long goal. When it is looked at through this lens, one bad day does not hold enough weight to make someone give up on their goals.
Focus Long-term
One thing that can help someone keep hope when things look dull is to remember the bigger picture. Having short term goals is great, but when times get rough it can be encouraging to remember the long term health goals from the beginning of the year. If improving one’s state of health is important, smaller less serious goals lose their huge impact during discouraging times. It is always helpful to reflect on the most important aspect of a goal. Remembering why this goal is important helps keep perspective.
Document Every Success
Even if it is a one pound weight loss, it is always good to document it. Celebrating successes, no matter how large or small keeps the process fun and exciting. It also provides motivation and hope for more success. When a person sets their New Year’s resolutions for fitness, it is easy to set the bar so high that they fail to see the smaller successes. Did the 20 minute run on the treadmill turn into a 30 minute run on an incline? That is progress, and should be celebrated as such.
Fitness increases over time, so it is important to recognize these good changes. Having small ways to celebrate, such as a new workout outfit, keeps the whole thing fun. Nothing gets a person going more than positive incentives.
New Year’s resolutions do not have to be stressful. With fun incentives and celebrations when goals are reached, resolutions can become something to look forward to. Not only are there plenty of health benefits to be reaped, but self-esteem and confidence grows with each success.