Happy New Year,
During this renewal time of year I’d like to share with you some tips for achieving your New Year’s resolution goals.
1) Write them down – set challenging but realistic goals
This is the key to sticking with your New Year’s resolution as most people fall off the wagon because they don’t make, write and stick to SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, have a time frame; i.e loosing 10lbs by May, which would equal to 2lbs/wk is a better goal than I want to loose my belly fat and look good in my bikini or that suit).
2) Plan out your strategy on how you’re going to achieve them.
Start slowly. Set short-term goals to stay motivated and boost your confidence. If you’re not sure HOW to get started on your exercise plan, consult with a certified fitness professional. They can help to teach you how to get started and what to do to meet your goals. They will also help you stay motivated and minimize the risk of injury.
3) Choose activities that you like and that you believe will help you achieve your exercise goals.
Simply joining the gym will not guarantee your results unless there’s some action behind the motivation.
4) Challenge yourself
Pick a new activity to try out every month. It could be a class, outdoor activity, exercise. The choice doesn’t matter, so long as you challenge yourself and move outside your comfort levels. This will keep you interested, test your limitations and counteract the body’s ability to adapt to exercise
5) Make appointments with yourself
Treat your exercise times as you would any other important meeting. Put your scheduled exercise time into your day timer. If someone wants to meet with you, these time slots are unavailable. I recommend working out the first thing in the morning so there’s less excuses to distract you from achieving your goals.
6) Reward Yourself
Establish a reward system for yourself to recognize the achievement of each stage of your goal. This could be weekly, monthly, or after you’ve reached your specified goal. For example allowing a cheat day after you’ve been eating healthy the whole week; buying a night out at a show or a new top after 20 workouts.
7) Rest Up
Make sure you get 7-9 hours of deep sleep each night. Studies have shown that people who don’t get enough sleep have a tendency to overeat and are more susceptible to weight gain. Also, be sure to give your muscles a break by taking at least one or two days off from exercising each week.
Use those muscles
Don’t just do cardio. Strength training is an integral component to any exercise plan. It will build your muscle and increase your bone density. Not to mention, for every pound of muscle gained, you speed up your metabolism and burn more calories. I recommend strength training to 2-3 times per week.