With the new year just around the corner, people are starting to make their resolutions and exercise is pretty close to being at the top of mostly everyone’s list.
If you’ve made exercise a new year’s resolution in previous years, but never kept up with it, don’t beat yourself up. You’re human! Follow our seven tips that will help you keep your fitness resolutions for the rest of the year!
Focus on what you want to gain instead of what you want to lose.
For example, “I want to gain muscle” is more encouraging than “I want to lose 20 pounds”. It also puts you in a positive mindset that will keep you motivated on what you want to achieve, not lose.
Say Goodbye to the “All or Nothing” mentality.
Too many people start the new year with a go-getter spirit only to be let down when they don’t meet the high expectations they initially set for themselves. When you catch yourself saying, “I just don’t have time to exercise!” perform a quick HIIT (high intensity interval) workout! See how many squats you can do while brushing your teeth, take the stairs more often, or do jumping jacks while you wait for the microwave.
Change one thing at a time.
Instead of attempting to go from 0 – 100 on January 1st, commit to practicing one small workout habit until you’ve mastered it for a week. When you’ve got that habit down, move on to another workout habit.
Warm up!
You’re pumped and ready to get your workout on so you jump right into it when all of a sudden… ouch! Don’t skip out on your warm up. Take five minutes to get the blood flowing into your muscles and raise your heart rate! Think of your muscles like rubber bands. Stretch a cold rubber band to its max and it’ll snap. But if you warm up the rubber band by doing light dynamic stretching first before taking it to its max, it’ll last much longer and you can reuse it again. Same idea with muscles!
Get rolling.
Using a foam roller before and after every workout will increase your mobility. Focus on your back, glutes, calves, ankles, and hips with slow and steady motions. Be sure to roll along the entire length of the muscle or tissue. If you find a tender spot (usually a knot in the muscle), stop on that spot to apply pressure for about 20 seconds, then continue rolling.
Get more sleep.
This should be at the top of your fitness new year’s resolutions! Hitting the sack is just as important as hitting the gym. Muscle is rebuilt, cortisol levels decrease, and your immune system strengthens when you get 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep.
Reward yourself.
Treat yourself with every milestone you accomplish. Ran a 5K in half an hour? Reward yourself with those running shoes you’ve been eyeing. Drank 8 glasses of water everyday for a week? Go get that hydro flask you’ve been wanting. Rewarding yourself will motivate you to keep going!
Kick the new year off right and build a better you! We’re rooting and cheering you on! We want to hear from you! What’s one thing that you find almost always stops you from keeping up with your fitness goals? Leave a comment!