Every January, scores of people flock to the gym to get new memberships, buy new exercise equipment, or start a diet in an effort to make a change in their health and in their lives. However, the problem with resolutions is that if someone really wants to make a change in their life, they simply do it. Without all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the act of making resolutions for the New Year.
Getting fit requires a change to not only your lifestyle, but a change to your attitude and outlook. This can be hard to do on your own, which is why it is often advisable to seek the help of a certified personal trainer, both for their knowledge and their ability to motivate. If you really want to make a change for the better, here are a few ideas to help keep you motivated along your journey.
Consistency is Key
One thing to keep in mind as you set your fitness goals is that even once you have attained your goal, you must continue to exercise and eat right in order to maintain the gains you have made. For instance, if after months of eating lean chicken breasts and salad you finally reach your goal, you would only be sabotaging your gains by reverting to your former diet of cheeseburgers (or whatever). Similarly, if your goal is to run 3 miles in under twenty minutes, you will have a hard time getting there if you fail to practice running several times a week. The key is to make changes, and then stick with them, even when it is difficult or you lack the motivation. Every single time you make a healthy choice, you solidify they good habit in your mind, making it easier to make the right choices in the future.
Make Changes You Can Stick With
A common problem among people who decide to make changes to their diet or fitness routine is to envision themselves having already attained their goals and working from there. But after the first workout or the first day of the diet, they begin to realize how much work they really have ahead of them. The leap they had been making in their minds suddenly becomes almost insurmountable, sapping their motivation until they eventually lose steam and stop trying.
A good example is the person whose goal is to run a marathon, and immediately starts training like a marathon runner. Not only is this damaging to motivation, it can be extremely harmful to your body! Instead, it is crucial that you take an honest, realistic approach and start from where you are, not where you want to be. By making 1-2 small incremental changes to your lifestyle at a time, you radically increase your chances of success. As you successfully implement one healthy habit into your life, your confidence grows, and you can start tackling bigger and bolder goals.
Make it Social
By finding a workout partner or hiring a certified personal trainer, you are committing yourself socially to your exercise and diet regimen. This is a very effective method for making sure you do not miss workouts. If you hire a trainer, a good idea is to pre-pay for all of your sessions. The fear of losing the money you paid for the session will keep you motivated to keep showing up at the gym week after week.
Rather than constantly striving for an ideal that may be years away or even unattainable, by realizing that fitness is a journey not a destination, you are guaranteed to make changes in your life that you can really stick with.
For more information on how to stay motivated to achieve your fitness goals, click here!
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