How To Stick To Your Fitness Goals For The New Years
Setting a fitness goal is only half the battle. Once you have decided you want to do it, the hard part is getting out and doing it. It is hard to stay committed. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Here are 5 ways to help you stick to your fitness goals for the year!
It is that time of the year. You have set a goal for the new year to get into a fitness routine. It is very common for people to set these goals and not see them through for the whole year. There is a reason that gyms’ busiest months are January and February.
Setting the goal is only half the battle. Once you have decided you want to do it, the hard part is getting out and doing it. It is hard to stay committed. If it was easy, everyone would do it.
Here are 5 ways to help you stick to your fitness goals for the year!
1. Make It A Habit
When starting the new year, it can be easy to get a membership and go to the gym a few times. What is hard is carrying on that fitness goal throughout the year and into the future. Making fitness a habit will help you break through the new year’s rush. Developing a habit is not an easy task. It will not develop in only a few days. Habits take time to build and involve you being committed to the idea in the first place.
There are a few different factors that can help make this journey easier. One is to find a fitness buddy! Having someone you frequently exercise can be very helpful for motivation. You will have someone with you to push you for each workout. They will also help keep you accountable and make sure you do not skip on your routine, and you do the same for them.
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At the end of the day, the most important part of building this habit is your attitude. If you want to make a commitment to your goal, you have to want to. There is no need to be hard on yourself, and hate what you are doing. You should enjoy getting out and getting active.
2. Build Your Program Gradually
It can be easy to get burnt out at the beginning of your fitness journey. When you start, take some time and assess your level of fitness. When you jump in head first, you risk burnout and injury. It is important to take it slow in the beginning and ease into the program you decide to do. This will do a few things for you. First, it will help you learn your baseline. You can move from here and really be able to learn the movements and track your growth from the beginning.
The goal for this is a long-term plan to help improve your health. Picking a ton of exercises and doing as much as you can at once will not aid in that development. To start, pick a few exercises that help target what you care about most. Then take time to learn the proper ways to do it, and build. Once you are comfortable with that you can begin to add more to the routine and expand your plan.
3. Do Exercise You Enjoy
If you do not enjoy what you are doing, you will not be doing it for a long time. Starting your fitness journey and getting out to exercise should not be something you dread doing. It should be fun! Getting active does not just mean going to the gym. If you hate the gym, work around that. Finding the right type of exercise can completely change your perspective on working out. It can be cycling, swimming, rock climbing, group fitness classes, or anything in between. Getting active is the key here, and you decide what you do to accomplish that.
4. Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress is a great way to see what you have accomplished since you started your fitness journey. Starting from the new year you will have an entire year of data showing how many of your goals you have hit by staying committed is a very rewarding thing to have. You can keep track of weight, workouts, run times, and really whatever you think is important to track for your goals.
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Seeing your progress can be very motivational. When you are working out consistently, it can be easy to get lost in the routine and not notice changes. Keeping track of growth and development will let you really visualize what your efforts are doing for your body.
It does not all have to be quantitative data. One thing that is important to track is how you are feeling on a particular day. In this area, you can track your moods, stress levels, and other mental factors to see how you are progressing throughout the year. Physical health is not the only important health to take care of throughout the year. Mental health is just as important and should be taken just as seriously.
5. Reward Yourself
Sticking with your new year’s resolution is hard work, but the health benefits should not be the only reward you give yourself.
Do not feel bad rewarding your hard work. When you set goals, it is important for you to reward yourself for hitting them! Treat yourself to a massage, a nice meal with friends, or whatever else brings you joy when you hit your goals. When you hit a goal it can be beneficial to take that step back and congratulate yourself. It can also help enforce those habits that you have been trying to build.
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It is also important to not beat yourself up if you mess up. Just get back up and get back on the horse. There is no need to dwell on what you messed up, just look forward to seeing how you can get better.
Feel good about what you are doing and do not be too hard on yourself.
Final Thoughts
It is time to hit your fitness goals this year! These 5 steps will not only help you stick through the year, but hopefully make fitness a part of your life. It is an important reminder to be realistic, and try to burn yourself out. It is a marathon, not a sprint.