31 Dec Five tips to keep your New Year’s Fitness Resolution

Two of the most common New Year’s Resolutions are to exercise more and lose weight. Often, these both go hand in hand.
Since it’s Dec. 31, 2009, just in time for the New Year here are five tips to help keep your fitness resolution(s).

1. Make reasonable goals – As was stated in the Dec. 30 blog, don’t set fitness goals so high that you set yourself up for failure. Make your goals reasonable and be willing to adjust them some. Rather than set an exact weight loss amount in pounds, if you state a resolution to eat better and stick to it then you’ll wind up losing weight anyways. You’ll avoid feeling like a failure if you don’t hit a 15- or 30-pound weight loss goal, but may still hit the mark you hoped for.
Same for exercising, if you make a resolution to exercise more instead of saying you’ll work out five times a week it could wind up being a more positive end result.

2. Get organized – Plan ahead of time when you can work out and do some research on how to meet your goals. The same goes for people who want to try to eat better. Research workout and diet ideas on the Internet and also go into a bookstore and see what fitness magazines and books are available. There’s more great information than ever before available.

3. Plan meals ahead of time – The easiest way to fall off a diet is to not have a meal plan set in advance. I know for me, I’m most likely to go through a drive-thru for fast food if I’m in a hurry and know there’s nothing in the fridge at home. Have a meal plan in advance and it never hurts to freeze leftovers or meals ahead of time to have them accessible in an instant.

4. Set yourself up for success – If you have existing workout equipment, get it ready to go as soon as possible in the New Year. That could mean cleaning it and inspecting it and calling a service man or fitness company to make any needed repairs. Get your music in order that will help inspire you during workouts. You could also take stock in what equipment you have and make a decision to add a new piece or pieces to get you going.

5. Write it down – As I’ve stated before, writing it down is one of the best tips out there for people to stay on a workout plan. A workout log will help you stay organized, chart your progress, serve as a motivator to not have blank pages stick out and also set goals for the future.

Bonus tip: If you can find a workout buddy, it will make things easier for you to stick to a program. You will have someone else to be accountable to and you can both push each other.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all and let’s make 2010 the “Fittest” year yet!
At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com