As we welcome the new year after waving goodbye to 2020 (We won’t miss you!), it’s the perfect time to motivate ourselves in breaking bad habits while starting good ones. With our health and fitness regimen taking a backseat over the past year, 2021 is looking hopeful, giving us the perfect opportunity to bounce back from The Great Pause.
Before you go through the motions of listing down your New Year’s resolutions and formally declaring them to your friends and fam to make sure there’s no turning back, you should be aware that getting back on your fitness track is no cakewalk. Your fiery motivations tend to burn out over time, so to successfully pull off these tricky resolutions can be done by setting achievable goals and a long-term fitness plan that involves actionable steps.
New Year Health Tips to Help Keep Your Resolution
Speak with a coach or trainer to help you get started on a fitness plan
When setting a goal with the intent of achieving it, you should always have a solid plan. To make sure you realize your New Year fitness resolutions, getting help from a coach or trainer is a good way to start. Putting one in your corner lends you their invaluable expertise and support for crafting a smart fitness strategy that delivers results.
Just like any team up, it’s crucial to make sure that you find the right match when looking for a coach or trainer. This way you can develop a strong working relationship that can help you focus on achieving clear goals. What better way to do this than with someone who is an expert in the field?
Workout with a friend or friends
One of the most common excuses for not being 100% committed to a health resolution is the lack of motivation. While doing all this on your own can be empowering, getting a bit of help from friends wouldn’t hurt. In fact, you can even influence them in joining you in hitting your New Year fitness goals. If that isn’t a win-win situation, I don’t know what is.
With help from your friends, you can be on the receiving end of wonderful benefits. You’re likely to feel more motivated in attending classes since you’ll be encouraging each other, leading to better results with a little friendly competition. You’ll also be more open to try new things when you both find an activity that you love, making it more fun and less like a workout. And once you get into a nice rhythm, you’ll both be counting on each other to show up.
Join (online) classes and be consistent in attending them
The past year hasn’t been kind to those who hit the gym or studio on the regular. On the bright side, technology has helped open doors for us to train in the safety of our homes. This has become a growing trend over the months, with some still getting the hang of doing it in front of a screen.
There may be a few cons, but the important thing is you’ll be able to stick to your New Year fitness plan without the risk of getting infected. Once you focus on the advantages such as affordability, access to more experts, and having your own schedule to follow, the drawbacks won’t matter anymore.
Track your progress
Nothing is more motivating than knowing you’re not in the same place you started, and the only way to do this is by tracking your progress. There are several ways, depending on the metrics you’re trying to track such as body fat percentage, the weight you’re lifting, and the calories you’re counting as you stick to your New Year’s resolution diet. You can keep a workout journal, download an app, use a tape measure, wear a fitness watch, or fearlessly step onto the often-dreaded weighing scale—you’ll never run out of options.
Keeping track of your progress not only keeps you motivated, but it can also help you hit and even surpass your goal, make the necessary adjustments, and stay committed to the plan.
Check on your mental health too
As equally important as physical wellbeing—or perhaps even more important—is mental health. For you to be capable of setting these resolutions and keeping them until they’re completed, the key is believing in yourself. Following this logic, any New Year’s resolution will be for naught if your mind isn’t in the right condition to make them happen.
The bottom line is taking care of your mental health is paramount to keeping yourself healthy. How about adding a mental health New Year’s resolution, yes?
New Year, New Better Me
As we leave a year that has been tough to most of us, let’s all take this opportunity to re-evaluate ourselves and set realistic expectations. You can be more confident in following through with your New Year’s resolutions and tick each of them off as you go through the year with a sound mind and healthier body. To help you realize your goals this coming New Year, download the Splore app and connect with others in a community who are looking towards a healthier and better version of themselves in 2021.