Hello 2017. How quickly time flies and we are now in our 3rd week of a brand new year.
It’s interesting how many of us make new year resolutions at the beginning of the year. Yet honestly, how many of us keep these resolutions when we review them at the end of the year?
If you ever make a count, there must have been at least 10, 000 times we have succumbed to laziness and told ourselves “it’s alright, there’s always tomorrow”. But that tomorrow never did come.
We make resolutions to stretch and excite ourselves, to grow and become better people. Yet many a times, the resolution we make is too big, too grand, too expansive that although the thought is inspiring, the going unfortunately is tough.
In this post, let me erase the notion that resolutions are hard to keep. In fact, as a fitness company, we have helped thousands of clients achieve their fitness resolutions using these 5 methods. Try them today as they have been proven to work.
Tip #1: Have A Goal
Goals give you the direction you want to work towards and the motivation to reach there. They answer the “why” question.
Having specific goals are important. Goals such as “I want to lose weight” and “I want to be fit” are too vague. You may find yourself succumbing to laziness after losing that 1kg of weight or building 1kg of lean muscle mass.
For clients who express desire to lose weight, we always ask them “how many kilos do you want to lose?”
Tip #2: Set Deadlines
Having a goal will help invigorate you. But that is not good enough. You need to set deadlines.
“By when do you want to lose that 5kg?”
Dire consequences will give you the impetus to stick to your fitness resolutions.
I like to call this the carrot or stick method.
It’s either you clock below 10 minutes for your next 2.4km run (and enjoy peace and quiet for the entire whole year) OR suffer going for remedial training continuously until you pass.
It’s either you fit into the new dress you bought and get praises for that OR suffer having burnt a big hole in your pocket and be content to stare at it grudgingly hanging in your wardrobe.
Human beings are always motivated by pleasure or pain. Choose which one works better for you.
Tip #3: Set Routines
Routines ensure that you set time aside for your fitness workout. There is never too little time. It’s all about how we prioritise – is catching a movie or staying fit and healthy more important to you? If they are equally important, you will set aside time for them.
It’s the same as eating breakfast – we do it because it is important; we do it because we set aside time for it.
Another benefit of having routines is that you mentally prepare yourself from morning or the day before. You prevent yourself from backing out an hour before your workout. You don’t snack right before you run and use that as an excuse.
For me, I feel energized knowing that I’m going to run and keep fit in the evening.
And my little open secret is this – I pre-plan my exercise workouts in my phone calendar. So when the alert goes off, I know it’s my little date with myself. And the venue of that date is the gym or the running track at the stadium.
Tip #4: Stay Positive During Workouts
Goals you set are checkpoints that you have yet to reach. They may seem unattainable at first, generating self-limiting beliefs.
We may hear ourselves say “I can’t do this anymore” or “I can only do 10, not 20” as we work out. These beliefs are self-fulfilling prophecies. We cause these negative thoughts to be true.
Rather, you must have positive thoughts, such as “I’m strong”, “I can do this” or “I believe in myself”. A healthy mind is a precursor to a healthy body.
Tip #5: Enjoy Yourself
Too often we see workouts as a chore or as pain. And because we do things to avoid pain, we avoid workouts.
Let’s face it: You will not be used to your first workout. But after several times as you get better at it, you feel encouraged that you can actually do it. Soon, you will come to enjoy it.
Another way to simply enjoy your fitness sessions is to start small. Don’t run 10km in your first workout when you have never done more than 2.4km before. Start with 1km, then 2km before running further each time.
Being the first blog post in 2017, we want to start off on a positive and bright note. After all, fitness is progressive. It can’t be achieved within a day. But if you are determined and results-drive, we know we will make a great team. See you at the top!
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