By Brittany Rubio
December 1st is officially upon us and the Holiday Season is in full swing.
Exactly 31 days from now, the gyms will be swarming with those hoping to get a head start on their New Year’s Resolutions, but we all know the numbers dwindle as the month drags on. Real life settles in, and we fall back into our old habits. Whether or not you’re planning on starting and keeping up with a workout regiment in 2014, even those who already exercise regularly need a little extra motivation. So how do the steadfast do it? How can a resolution turn into a lifestyle?
Changing Your Perspective
Of course it’s easy to be positive and say you’re going to follow through with your resolutions this year, but we all find it difficult to keep up for one reason or another. We find excuses everywhere and convince ourselves of thousands of things everyday. But think about it, excuses are made up in your head, they’re ways in which your brain creates a justification for doing or not doing something, so pay attention. We make excuses everyday, e.g., to sleep in those extra five minutes or to watch an extra hour of TV, but if we take notice of when we’re actively avoiding something, we can stop ourselves from creating excuses and convincing ourselves that those excuses are, well, excusable.
It’s all about perspective. If you want to get in shape, what do you have to do in order to achieve that?
Set an Achievable Goal
Providing yourself with milestones leading to where you want to be shapewise can help you avoid making those pesky excuses. A huge problem with people who want to get back into shape is that they harbor unrealistic expectations of how long and how hard they have to work to meet their goal.
So before you get started, do some research.
Think about where you want to end up: do you want to get toned muscles? Do you want to increase your flexibility? Would you like to eventually participate in a 5K? Or do you just want to be healthy? Every individual is different and reaching any goal will require a unique plan to accomplish. Make sure your goals are realistic, set milestones that will give you satisfaction as you get closer to your end goal and keep yourself reminded of where you want to end-up. Realize that you won't get in shape overnight, but do realize that you will notice small changes over time.
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| Workout Motivation |
Find a Friend!
Chances are, you are not alone in your quest to establish a regular workout routine. Having a friend join you at a class, get a gym membership with, or to simply meet in the park to run with can help motivate you to actually get up and get going. With a partner, you can encourage each other to meet your goals and you’ll be less likely to make an excuse and back out of a planned workout session if someone is there waiting and counting on you.
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| Workout Motivation: Find a Partner |
Additionally, it’s easy to get down on yourself. Maybe you’re not feeling particularly active or you’re not getting in shape as quickly as you’d like to, but having a friend work out with you will help ease those worries. Chances are they have the same issues and you’ll be there telling them that they’re doing a great job and to keep at it, just like they’ll tell you.
The More the Merrier
Speaking of friends, perhaps joining a class will get you motivated. Some gyms offer classes on a class-by-class basis, which is good to get your foot in the door and test the waters. But some gyms offer packages where you buy months worth of classes, or even require you to purchase a full membership, in order to participate. While commitments can be scary, it could be a huge motivator. The fact that you’ve paid for the program will make you more likely to go and get your money’s worth. Not only that, but you’ll have instructors to show you the ropes and give you nutritional and additional workout advice as well as possible friends to meet and keep you motivated.
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| Workout in a Group: Find Workout Classes |
Staying Positive
Most importantly, stay positive. It’s easy to get down on yourself for not meeting your goals or to take a workout regiment too seriously. If you remain realistic and positive that your hard work will pay out, you’ll see healthy results.
Remember, never over-do it and that extra cupcake after dinner is totally okay. Just remember to stay healthy and positive about your goals and even when you meet setbacks. For instance, a day where you’re actually tired and busy and not making excuses, you’ll feel totally okay with not working out that day and also feel totally okay about working out the next day and continuing with your regiment.
Staying motivated to workout is all about creating healthy habits, and if you can get into the habit of staying healthy and wanting to stay healthy, then a workout will be a much welcome “me time."
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