Here’s a Few Reasons Why & Tips On How To Get Started.
With the end of 2023 fast approaching, you may have begun to consider your 2024 New Year’s resolutions. It’s easy to tell yourself that you’ll start fresh in a couple of months (and enjoy the Holidays first), but why not start now to get a head start? After all, there’s no time like the present! Here are a few reasons getting started early can be immensely beneficial + here are a few tips to do it!
- Get a Head Start: If your New Year’s resolution is to lose 15+ pounds by summer or to run a marathon by spring, don’t wait until January to start your efforts. Use the time left in the year to get a head start. If you already know what you’d like to achieve, there’s no reason to wait. Feeling like you’re ahead of your goals will help keep you going when the official resolution time rolls around.
- Develop a Routine: After the whirlwind of the holidays, some of us struggle to fall back into our routines or get healthier in our routines. Work and school start back and schedules get crazy, plus colder weather and the fact that it gets dark so early can be especially unmotivating when we’re thinking about grabbing our workout gear and going to the gym. By developing a routine before the start of the year, you won’t have to attempt to nail down new habits amid all of the upcoming madness.
- Enjoy More Gym Space: We all know that gym usage spikes in January with the influx of people trying to kickstart those fitness resolutions. While the numbers usually drop off within a few weeks/months, the crowds can be intimidating and irritating. Rather than starting your resolution at the same time as everyone else, try starting now and enjoy the gym space comfortably. You may need to adjust your workout time or location when January rolls around, but as people trickle out, it’ll be business as usual and you’ll have a good handle on your fitness and health journey. Get Active Today!
A FEW TIPS TO GET STARTED
1. Think Beyond a Resolution
Instead of going into your new fitness routine with the mindset of a resolution, give yourself tangible goals to work towards. By creating a plan with targets to meet, you can work towards a specific result and hold yourself accountable for slacking off.
2. Make a Solid Plan, but Start Small
Prior planning helps us prioritize our health and ensure that we’re making time to exercise. Write down when, where and what type of workouts or fitness classes you’ll be planning. If you’re just beginning your fitness journey and don’t know where to start, you can always start with a FREE Fitness Clinic at FITNESS PROJECT to learn more about equipment and the associated benefits, along with getting information on what you personally could benefit from in trying to reach your individual goals.
As you’re developing your exercise plan, don’t force yourself to make any huge changes right out of the gate. If you’re only used to working out once a week, a plan involving daily workouts will be difficult to stick to. Smaller adjustments will be easier for you to stay consistent with and consistency leads to bigger results.
3. Set SMART Goals
Whether you want to lift more or lose a few pounds, make sure you’re setting numerical, measurable goals. SMART is an acronym that you can use to guide your goal-setting.
- Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
- Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
- Achievable (agreed, attainable).
- Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
- Time-bound (time-based, time-limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).
Measuring your success will help you stay on track with your improvements and show you where you may need to work harder.
In addition, setting incremental goals will help you develop “checkpoints” for your larger goal. Celebrate your successes each and every time!
4. Find Your Support System
If you struggle to hold yourself accountable for finishing a workout or training day, try finding a support system to keep you going. This could be a fellow gym goer, a friend, or a family member. Ask this person to check in and make sure you’re sticking to your plan. You’ll likely receive lots of helpful encouragement, too.
By joining a Team Training or GROUP Fitness Class, you could build more friendships with like-minded individuals with the same goals you share – this is a great way to build accountability partners.
See other benefits of working out with a significant other or friend, CLICK HERE!
