How To Keep Your New Year Fitness Resolutions

How to Keep Your New Year Fitness Resolutions
  
We are here again; it’s that all important time of the year where we make our New Year’s Resolutions! For many this usually involves some sort of fitness or weight loss goal but how many of you either don’t carry them on for more than a month or two or never actually get started? I’m going to give you some helpful tips so that you can give yourself the best possible chance of keeping up your Resolutions well into 2017 and beyond…

 

• Have a clear goal in mind – Saying that you ‘want to get fitter’ or ‘lose weight’ isn’t going to set you up for success, you need a clear goal that is measurable; ‘I want to lose a stone’ or ‘I want to squat 120kg’ are much better. A big benefit of this is that as you progress towards what you are trying to achieve you can actually see yourself getting closer to your goal which will keep you motivated, focused and less likely to stray from the way.

 

• Make yourself accountable – If nobody knows what your Resolutions are then nobody will ever ask you how you are getting on and if you have a bit of a down spell then you’ll just be able to give up without anybody being any the wiser. So tell your friends and family, put it on social media for a bigger audience to see, you do that and suddenly you’re committed and stand a much bigger chance of staying with it. If you then have a down spell you’ll be surprised how many people are there to pick you back up and keep you motivated.

 

• Strike while the iron is hot – One of my favourite sayings that I tell clients all of the time is ‘Don’t start something tomorrow that you could start today!’ Christmas is an expensive time so quite often January needs to be a ‘quieter’ month. This means that you may not be able to join a gym or hire a Personal Trainer straight away but don’t fall into the trap of waiting until next month to start as quite often next month never arrives.

 
We all have a decent grasp of what healthy eating is (very basically, lean meats, vegetables and good fats) so you can start that yourself from day 1. It also doesn’t cost a penny to do some bodyweight exercises at home or to go for a run a few times per week. If you do this then you will have already started the process and the next month when you can afford to, you can join the gym or hire a Personal Trainer etc.
 

• GET HELP! – One of the biggest obstacles that you could face whilst trying to keep your New Year Fitness Resolutions is…not having a clue about what you are doing! The best way to lose motivation early on in your journey is to not see any progress. There are many ways to get help depending on your goals, budget and how much of a priority it is for you to get there. You could just go to the gym with a friend who knows what they are doing, you could join a running club or if you really want to commit, then hire a Personal Trainer, even if it’s just for a couple of months to find your feet. Whichever route you choose, getting help will give you the best opportunity to get to where you want to be.

 
Follow these simple steps and your New Year Resolutions won’t just be New Year Resolutions anymore; they will be a new, healthier lifestyle! If you want to find out more about Personal Training and how I can help you then visit: www.mattsmallacombept.co.uk or email me at: mattsmallacombept@hotmail.co.uk.
 
Happy New Year!