With new years right around the corner, it’s a tradition to make a new years resolution. One of the most popular resolutions is a commitment to eat right and get in shape. This is one of the best changes you can make to your life. If you’re successful, it will change your life. Unfortunately, many people will never make good on their promise to themselves. So for new year’s, I wanted to give my top ten tips on how to make the best of your new year’s resolution to commit to fitness.
1. There is no done.
The path you’ve chosen is a little deceptive. You’re not just walking this path to lose a few pounds, or to get a little bit stronger. Your body plays a nasty trick on you. If you are just in this for the short term, then you’ll lose the strength gains you make, or re-gain the weight that you’ve lost. This is an ongoing journey with no end. The good news is that once you’ve made this lifestyle a habit, it will change areas of your life for the better that you never expected. Resistance training has a lot of side benefits, as does exercise and proper diet in general.
2. Stop working out for a result.
Most people begin a fitness program for a specific reason – they want to lose weight, or get in shape. It’s easy to get disheartened if the results aren’t coming as fast as you’d like. So stop working out for those reasons, Just keep showing up, just keep eating right, work out for today, the results will come. The only bad workout is one that didn’t happen.
3. Choose your success.
You have total control over what you decide to consume. You have total control over your decision to maintain your commitment to fitness. That means that you have total control over your success. This feeling of control can spill over into other areas of your life creating a chain reaction of positivity. Don’t cheat yourself by giving up, or only half committing to your goals. Choose your success.
4. Understand your expectations.
You lose weight by changing your eating habits, not exercise. You change your body and invest in your long term health and happiness by exercising. So often people (guys in particular) want to know a core routine to give them six pack abs. The truth is: there isn’t one. Of course you need strong abdominal muscles to have a “washboard stomach” but you may already have them – they’re just hidden under a sheath of fat. Conversely, people think that they can be in better health simply by “being skinny”. The truth is, it’s a combo platter, if you change your diet and exercise, then you can have both better health and a smaller number on the scale.
5. This is a time commitment.
You have to schedule exercise into your life, make time for it, every day in order to reap the full rewards that can be found from this commitment. Sometimes that can be difficult, but it’s an investment in yourself and in your future.
6. Surround yourself with like minded people.
By surrounding yourself with others who are dedicated to a fit lifestyle, you will greatly increase the odds of successfully adding it to your life permanently. And you just may make some of the best friends of your life too. That sounds like a win-win deal in my book.
7. Believe in yourself, believe in your goals.
There is always someone out there with less than you, and there is always someone else with more than you. Sometimes, there are people who just seem to breeze through their fitness journey – and they can be easy to spot. But bear in mind, there are others out there who are facing a far more difficult challenge than you. Maybe they’re handicapped, maybe they have a hundred more pounds to lose than you do, but they’re out there. They’re on their journey, and you’re on yours. Believe in yourself and inspire someone who may need the inspiration you might not even be aware you can provide to them.
8. Fitness is a process.
Just as you wouldn’t expect a baby to be able to run, you shouldn’t expect drastic changes overnight to your body. A baby rolls over, then they sit up, then they crawl, then they stand, then they begin to toddle, then they begin to walk, and it’s only after walking successfully for a while that they begin to run. Your fitness will be no different. Start out small, do your best, and realize that some days will be better than others, just keep showing up, and the progress will happen. Your diet and nutrition may be the same. You’ll have good days and bad, but keep focusing on making progressive changes for the better. Before you know it, you’ll shed weight, and notice that you feel healthier and have more energy. Forgive your setbacks, and focus on the progress. You’ll get there.
9. Take pride in your accomplishments!
Don’t forget to enjoy your successes! If you manage to stick with your fitness lifestyle change, take pride in this amazing accomplishment. Studies have shown that around 73 percent of people who start a fitness program quit before reaching their goals. Don’t let that be you!
10. Find a program that you enjoy, and a diet that you can follow long term.
Remember point #1? There is no “done” so you need to find something realistic that you can adopt as a new lifestyle. Something that you enjoy, that gives you the freedom to live your life, to enjoy food, and enhance your relationships. Not sure where to start? I’ve got a free workout plan for beginners which you are welcome to start with here.
So that’s it. If you’ve made it this far, you’re on the right path. You’ve made a great choice to make real changes in your life that will change you in positive ways that you may not even be aware of. Stick with it! Come back here often, send me your questions, brag to me about your progress, I’d love to hear it! For my part, I’ll keep posting weekly to try to inspire and share things with you that I think are worth knowing. Happy new year!
Know someone who might like this? Please share it with them, or via your social media network, it helps the blog out, and you never know who you might be responsible for motivating to live a healthier lifestyle!
Brain. Body. Food. 