The New Year is just around the corner and that means it’s time to start thinking about your fitness goals for the coming year. If you have made New Year resolutions to get fit in the past and have quickly failed to fulfill your resolution, you’re not alone. It happens to lots of people. But this year you can make that resolution a reality. The key to keeping your resolution is staying motivated to change your lifestyle and make it a way of life to live in a healthy way.
Gyms that fill up right after January are usually pretty empty by the time that spring rolls around because so many people end up giving up on their New Year resolutions. Here are a few ways that you can stay motivated to follow through on your New Year resolution this year:
Find the Right Gym
Gyms are a great resource for people who really want to make some healthy changes in their lives. Gyms give you much more than just a workout space. You will get access to experienced professionals who can give you advice on the right workouts to meet your goals and how to use the gym’s equipment. Trainers can also provide guidance on how to eat better and set realistic goals. Gyms can also provide a supportive environment so that you don’t give up on your weight loss journey.
The secret is find the right gym or gyms for you. Often people make a New Year’s resolution and join the first gym they find after searching for “gyms near me”. Then only a month or two into the year, they stop going. There are a number of factors to consider when selecting a gym. Make sure the location will work for you long-term. Perhaps a gym closer to work will be best or a location near your home. It could be that the best location will vary depending on your schedule with some locations working better during the week and a different gym better for weekend workouts.
The types of equipment, classes, and services offered by the gym are all critical. Gyms also have personalities. You want to find a place to exercise where you’ll feel both comfortable and inspired to keep working out. Pay As U Gym has local gyms near you where you can purchase flexible gym passes. This will allow you to try different gym locations without committing to a long-term membership. Experiment to see if you prefer working out in the morning before work, during lunch, or in the evening. Try different classes, a variety of cardio and weight training equipment, and get to know people at the various gyms. This will help keep you from getting bored while you find the types of exercise and gyms that will inspire you to keep your resolution.
Set Realistic Goals
This is something that a lot of people struggle with. When you set an unrealistic goal like losing a huge amount of weight quickly or getting six-pack abs within a month, you are setting yourself up to fail. Getting fit and losing weight take time and commitment. That’s why it’s so important that you set realistic goals. A better way to set goals is to break down your ultimate goal into a series of small milestones. That way you can create a plan to work towards each individual milestone. You’ll also have a bigger sense of success if you can celebrate each milestone as a step on the journey.
Take It Day by Day
Ultimately, getting healthy and losing weight happens one choice at a time and one day at a time. Where most people fail is that they will miss a workout or eat their favorite take away food and assume that they’ve failed on their diet or exercise regimen. Then they just give up. It is important to realize that each day is a new day and new opportunity to make healthy choices. Each healthy step will lead to another healthy step. Before you know it, you’ll begin reaching your goals. If you miss a workout one day shrug it off. The next day make the choice to go to the gym. Decide to eat one healthy meal. Then the next day make more healthy choices. Slowly and surely you will start to notice that you’re losing weight and looking a lot more fit. You’ll also feel better. You can achieve your goal if you take it day by day and try to make good choices each day.