And if you are like any of us, you probably attended a few parties and ate a few too many finger foods. You may be regretting helping yourself to that extra eggnog or going back for thirds and forths of those delicious buffalo wings. But if you are also like many of us, you made a New Year’s Resolution to get rid of the holiday weight and stay in shape all year long.
If any of this rings true, here are some tips to help you keep on your goal of not only dropping that weight, but also visiting the gym more often.
1) Don’t try and burn all your weight off in the first week. As most gym employees can attest, the two weeks after new years are the busiest times for a gym. Everyone makes the same New Year’s Resolution to lose weight and heads immediately to the gym. This enthusiasm is great, but generally wears off pretty quickly. One thing to keep in mind is that weight control, or toning up, is not an overnight process. You need to really work at it to get the results you are working for. Many people head to the gym, run a mile on the treadmill and think they can drop 20 pounds that day. Not the case. If you truly want to get the results you are looking for, remember the old adage that slow and steady wins the race. Don’t burn yourself out. Don’t get frustrated when the results aren’t pouring in the first week. Give it some time and you will achieve your goal.
2) Set Goals. What I have found to work the best is set a goal in the future and work towards that goal. There are two types of goals you can set. You can either set personal goals (I will lose X pounds or be able to do 10 reps of X pounds) or you can sign up for an event and train towards that. I generally find the latter to work best for me. If I sign up for a bike race with some friends, I know a hard deadline that I need to be in shape by… and work towards that. This gives me a goal to reach, say bike 50 miles, and a timeframe to be able to work towards. After the completion of the event, I look for a new event to sign up for and work towards.
3) Set regular workout times. If you know your spouse has a meeting every Monday, use that free time to work out. If you don’t have to be at work until late one day a week, use that to work out. Essentially, set up a regular schedule and try to get to the gym regularly. I have noticed that if I haphazardly try and make it to the gym, there is always an important game on TV or an event I need to attend. But if I know that Monday at 5pm is one of my workout times, I will schedule things around it, instead of the other way around. This consistency allows me to know when I will be working out and have the right mindset to do so.
These simple tips will help you beat the average American in keeping a New Year’s Resolution. If today is a good day, go to the gym and notice the number of people there. Using these tips you will still be there well into the spring when everyone else has forgotten about their commitment to themselves.
Keep sporting!
- Who’s In First
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