January is notorious for being the busiest time of the year for gyms as people make a conscious effort to shed the pounds after an indulgent festive period. With gyms seeing their memberships almost double over this time, come mid-February gym attendance is usually back to normal. To ensure you stick to your New Year’s fitness resolutions for 2017, check out these top tips for your fittest year yet!
Write It Down
Raise your hand if you’ve written down your New Year’s Resolutions in the past. Us too! No matter what the goal you are trying to achieve, you should always make an effort to write it down. “Lose weight” is probably a very common New Year’s Resolution, but try to be more specific. Outline how much you want to lose and in what time frame. Don’t stretch yourself by making too many resolutions. If you’re serious about your fitness for 2017, then make this the first and only one you make next year.
Break It Down
So you’ve written down an achievable goal of losing X amount of weight over X weeks, but what’s next? Look about how you can make your resolution more manageable. You’ve noted that you already want to lose the weight or tone your body, but how are you going to go about it? Give yourself a daily ‘to do’ list of exercises that you can do before work or when you get home. Breaking the resolution down into achievable steps can make it easy for you to start and less likely for you to give up.
Treat Yo’Self
If I had to pick one TV quote to live by it would no doubt be this one, said by the very fabulous and very lovable duo Tom and Donna of sitcom Parks and Recreation. When you work hard, you definitely deserve to play hard so take a day off to treat yourself. Whether it’s a weekend away, a massage or a date night, treating yourself can help you to achieve your goals. Think of it like a reward system; every time you reach one of your mini-goals, treat yo’self!
Ask For Help
If there is a particular exercise of move that you don’t know, don’t shy away from asking for help. Instructors and Personal Trainers are there for this very reason. If you don’t know something, then they will be more than happy to show you the ropes. Doing so will clear up any confusion you may have and help to prevent you from injury.
Don’t Over Do It
You don’t need to be sweating every last drop of liquid out of your body or curled up in pain to have a good workout. Some people love that feeling of an intense workout and will often do them on a daily basis, others find that this kind of exercise is off-putting and downright miserable. Find what type of workout works for you and stick to it. If it becomes too difficult and you aren’t enjoying it, then don’t be afraid to say that it isn’t right for you.
What will your New Year’s Resolutions be for 2017? Will we find you signing up to your local gym to up your fitness levels? Leave a comment below, whether it’s a personal or business goal.