They come around every year, the New Year’s resolutions. For some, it’s a waste of time that they tend to stick out for a month and then give up. For others, it can actually create a new habit, generate experiences and change the course of a life.
Fitness is something that is often made as one of the resolutions and they can often have a mixed-bag effect. Keeping fit as an adult is a lot harder than it first seems. With the turbulence of life, as well as having a job to go to and a family to spend time with, it can feel as though fitness is just another thing to try and cram into an already busy schedule.
However, with a person needing at least twenty minutes of exercise a day, it’s something that should be stuck to as best as possible. Fitness can help improve the health and mental well-being of those who get into the groove of it.
With that being said, here are a few tips to help stick to this New Year’s resolution of getting fit.
Be smart with the time available
The time you have available is limited, so with that being said, be smart when it comes to the time utilized on getting fit. Try to schedule in the times that fitness will take place and make it work around your own schedule, rather than vice versa.
Some may find that working out after dinner at home might be helpful, while others will get in a gym session during their lunchtime hour at work.
Being smart with the time you have is going to help get the most out of the session and it’s likely going to help stay motivated. Try to avoid booking yourself in too tightly for a class when it might be cutting it fine for other things you have planned before or after.
Focus on fitness activities that are enjoyable
Fitness should be enjoyable, but many people will end up causing themselves more stress and pain by picking fitness that they don’t like. Just because someone else does running, doesn’t mean you don’t need to run.
Everyone is different which means what fitness you do will be tailored to what it is you enjoy. Working out and enjoying it, is going to help you stay motivated to keep at it. Once it’s developed into a habit, it makes it much easier to continue with.
Try out some different activities and pay attention to how it makes you feel both before, during, and after them. You’ll soon get the impression whether it’s something that’s easy enough to continue or might feel like a hard slog.
Set small achievable goals along the way
In order to help reach the end goal that you want with fitness, it’s important to set small, achievable goals. A person can’t just expect themselves to get to the end result, without a number of milestones being checked off first.
If the goal is to lose two stone by the end of the year, then focus on how many pounds you’ll want to lose each month. Set some fitness-related goals, such as eating X amount of calories per day or doing ten classes at the gym within the space of a month.
These small but achievable goals are going to help keep up that all-important motivation.
Remember to take rest days
Rest days are important as part of the healing process the body needs when working out. However, some can neglect to take it, which in itself, can cause issues. It’s also important to warm up and warm down when working out so that the body doesn’t feel so battered the next day.
Rest days could be every other day or they could be once or twice a week depending on the overall amount of exercise being done. Be strict with rest days because it’s important for the body to recover. Any rest days missed could, in fact, hinder future efforts made in other fitness sessions. You’re only sabotaging yourself!
Enjoy protein shakes to build muscle
Protein shakes are a great way to help build muscle. Protein is a key part of helping to bulk up and if that’s something that’s a goal then it’s worth introducing some healthy protein shakes to the diet.
Be sure to do the research before picking any random shakes. Some may be more suitable to what you’re after than others. Not all protein shakes taste great either, so it’s worth experimenting until you find something you like.
Vary workouts to keep things interesting
It’s easy enough for some workouts to be boring once you’ve done them a few times. That’s why it’s a good idea to try and mix up the workouts done so that it keeps it interesting. Not only that but doing a mixture of workouts when it comes to cardio and strength can be good for a balanced progress in both areas.
So if you love swimming, why not combine that with some weighted workouts in the gym? Creating different combinations from one week to the next will keep it exciting. You’ve got something different to look forward to and enjoy each time!
Buy some new gym wear to get motivated
Finally, but certainly not least, gym wear. It’s something that might not be immediately considered necessary but boy oh boy it makes a difference.
Some newcomers to fitness may not even have the right apparel. They could be working out in a sweatshirt and beach shorts.
It’s something to think about when it comes to inspiring and getting motivated to work out. Think about investing in some extra gym wear or transforming the current closet into a whole set of gym clothes ready for every day of the week. The more you have, the more it’ll end up motivating you to go to these fitness sessions more and more.
Staying motivated to get fit is hard but once you’re in the groove of it, the hard work and effort will pay off.