Your New Years Resolution To Get Fit And Lose Weight: 5 Principles To Help You This New Year

With the New Year fast approaching, many people will be turning their attention to their New Years resolutions.  Many of these resolutions pertain to fitness, weight loss, and overall wellness.  Unfortunately, many people will never see their fitness goals realized.  In this article I’ll point out some ideas and principles for you to consider as you prepare for your New Years resolutions as they relate to fitness.  

 

According to most of the New Years resolution statistics I have seen over the years, less than half of those who initially commit to New Years resolutions relating to fitness will actually accomplish their goals.  In fact, based on what I have observed over the last two decades working out in gyms and fitness facilities, I think this number is actually conservative.  It’s quite probable that when asked, many people will not admit to others or themselves that they have failed to live up to their New Years resolutions.  Based on what I have personally observed in the gym environment over the years, and working with people one-on-one extensively, I believe the real number of New Years fitness resolution failures is at least seventy five percent.  Even if the New Years resolution statistics are correct, that means and least half of those who set such resolutions ultimately fail to see them realized.  This article will help you establish some tools that will ensure you will be a part of that twenty five percent that sticks with it.  Having said that, let’s go ahead and take a look at some New Years resolution ideas that you can implement to ensure a higher likelihood of success with your fitness and wellness goals. 

 

1.  Analyze And Understand Your Past

 

Have you worked out aggressively in the past?   Have you never worked out?  Are you an on again off again exerciser?  It’s important to take a few moments to honestly look at yourself and your workout history.  If you have began working out in the past but have never been able to stick with it, it’s important to analyze and understand what got you off track.  Only once you understand this can you take steps to ensure that it does not happen again.  If you have been on again off again with your workouts, take the time to seriously think about what steered you away from your workouts or contributed to your discontinuation of your exercise routine. 

 

2.  Establish Clear And Concise Goals

 

It’s great for someone to say that they want to lose weight and get in shape, but this kind of statement is extremely vague and unclear.  What kind of shape do you want to get in?  By when do you want to be in shape?  How will you know when you have reached that goal?  Will there be an empirical or definitive way or knowing rather than a subjective feeling or observation?  Saying you want to lose weight and get in shape is really more of an aspiration.  Saying you want to lose thirty pounds by a certain date and fit into a certain dress or pant size is a much better example of a goal.  It’s not a bad idea to start with your aspirations, such as “I want to lose weight and get in shape”, and then transition those aspirations into solidly defined goals, such as the one mentioned above. 

 

3.  Establish Some Accountability

 

One of the most important aspects of accomplishing fitness goals is to have some sort of accountability.  Some people are internally motivated to workout.  For these people, working out is enjoyable, a stress reliever, and a fun way to spend part of the day.  For externally motivated people, they may require some external motivators to help push them in their workouts.  Having a workout partner, a personal trainer, or a person who holds you accountable to your workouts and fitness goals can help a lot if you are this type of person.  Be honest with yourself.  If you don’t like working out, it’s ok. Neglecting your health and welfare however is not ok.  Take an honest look at yourself and your personality.  Take a moment to assess what type of person you are, and then take the necessary steps to set up accountability measures if you need them. 

 

4.  Choose What Is Fun For You

 

When it comes to fitness, one of the most important factors that will dictate long-term success is whether or not what you are doing is fun.  If you have the attitude “I have to exercise today”, the chances of you being successful long term are very low.  One of the best ways to find activities that are fun and active is to think back to when you were a child.  What kind of activities did you do in high school or even younger?  There are many great ways to get exercise and have fun at the same time.  You can walk or run with a friend.  You can go for a walk with your dog.  You can get involved in local team sports like basketball or baseball.  You can try out a new martial art.  You can try a workout class.  Maybe you’ve always thought about indoor rock climbing or getting into paintball.  There are numerous options to choose from if you think about it. 

 

Gyms are fantastic places to workout and offer benefits that are hard to find outside of their walls.  However, many people get their aerobic training outside of a gym and then do their resistance training inside a gym.  This can also keep your workouts different and exciting.  Be creative and try to brainstorm as many activities that you can that would be fun for you and physically active at the same time.   

 

5.  Work With Professionals

 

One of the best ways a person can increase their workout and fitness success is to work with professionals.  This may involve working with a certified personal trainer and/or licenced dietician.  Working with such professionals not only helps in getting professional and competent advice, it also helps to keep a person accountable and moving forward with their progress.  A good certified personal trainer can help design and implement a workout program that is safe and appropriate for your needs and goals.  A good licenced dietician can also help to bring about weight loss via dietary changes while taking into consideration a person’s medical background and needs. 

 

Making The New Year The Best Year

 

If you’re thinking about implementing some New Years resolution ideas that are fitness related, it’s important to have a sound game plan.  By understanding your past as it relates to fitness, establishing clear and concise workout goals, maintaining some level of accountability, choosing fun workouts, and working with professionals, you are much more likely to experience workout and fitness success.  Whatever your New Years Resolutions are, good luck to you and make sure to check back for more fitness related articles and tips. 

Comments

[weight loss]

Dieting is always on my mind when it comes to new year's resolution but I still can't achieve the weight that I want. Good thing you shared these tips to us.