Its that time of year again! Where the gyms are packed with more than just good intentions :)
January is a great time for us to reset and refocus on our fitness goals or to set new ones. I know personally I really enjoyed the Christmas break eating and drinking more (ok a lot more) than i usually would however, I must say I was looking forward to getting back into a routine and giving my body the fuel it really needs!
Research shows that approx. 90% of all new years resolutions fail, here are some tips to making sure you stick to your fitness resolutions!
Step 1: Set a Realistic Goal
Aim to set one goal rather than 10 at a time, don't underestimate how much change can impact you.For example quitting sugar, gluten and dairy in one go can be very overwhelming and if too radical a change you are not likely to stick to it!
Its better to lose weight slowly and steadily to avoid drastically reducing your metabolism and becoming fed up with a very restrictive diet, the best diet is one you can stick to!
Make sure you do your research too, is losing 2lbs a week realistic? if you only have a stone to lose its likely it will not come off that fast.
Step 2: Make it specific and measurable!
You cant define success if you do not measure it, you need to know what your starting point is or how will you tell if your on the right track?
For example, if your goal is to increase fitness why not time how long it takes you to jog/run 1km and work from there? If your goal is fat loss, meaure your waist (or if you want to go by scales that is fine too, personally i don't weigh myself but go by inches or fat % by callipers).
Step 3: Get a friend/partner onboard!
It can be difficult to clean up your diet at the best of times, but near impossible if your partner/housemates are all scoffing pizza beside you! Try and get them on board with the same goals, that way you can encourage and motivate each other.
If your partner or friends are not up for it try and find someone who is! Perhaps a work colleague, or even people you have met online? I recently got a Jawbone fitness tracker which monitors my sleep patterns, daily step count, activity level and allows me to log my food. A great feature of the Up app is that you can have teammates - this can really help when you have accountability of what you are eating via logging meals and also helps spark some competition to get more active!!
Step 4: Break the goal into mini-milestones
Think of your goal as a journey and identify key milestones along it. By breaking it into smaller milestones it is less over-whelming and you are recognising your success along the way.
Find a way to reward yourself without undoing all the great work! (for me rewarding with food is not a good idea, rather i treat myself to a massage or perhaps a new purchase like gym gear or new runners, that way you will look forward to wearing them....in the gym ha ha )
Step 5: If its simply not working, adjust your goal, don't give up!
A couple of years ago I made a resolution to get fit and thought the only way to do this was to go running....guess what, I HATE RUNNING. I don't mind it on the rugby pitch but i just don't get any joy from road running, I forced myself to do this for months and I was miserable!
Moral of the story, there's more than one way to get to where you want to go. Different diets work for different people, there are endless ways to burn calories find one you enjoy!
http://www.womenshealthmag.co.uk/weight-loss/healthy-eating/2262/new-years-resolutions/
