Hiring a personal trainer will help you stay focused on achieving results. PHOTO BY JIM GRAY
A new year, a new you — or so we tell ourselves.
For many of us, the new year represents a fresh start. We eagerly share with others our resolutions, which are often forgotten by Feb. 1, or sooner.
Ask any regular gym-goer and they will confirm the very real one-month phenomenon, when the gym is filled with resolutions without a real purpose. Sure, the concept of getting in shape is great, but what are you really trying to accomplish?
The problem with most fitness resolutions is they are too easy to give up on. When the end is nowhere in sight, we are more likely to give in and decide it wasn’t a worthwhile goal, maybe too unrealistic even.
To stick to your resolutions, you need to create smaller goals and make yourself accountable along the way. Here are a few tips to help you survive the temporary takeover at the gym this year:
Set small goals.
By setting smaller goals, you can accomplish them within a more tangible time frame. Finding success on a weekly basis allows you to monitor progress and reaffirm that your hard work is paying off.
If your overall goal is to lose weight, set your goal for the first week on process, not outcome. By focusing on making it to the gym three times that week as opposed to what the scale says, you are reinforcing the behaviours that will lead to long-term success, instead of focusing on a number that may not have changed just yet.
Schedule it in.
When it comes to going to the gym, many of us put it on the back-burner when we feel pressed for time. We use our day planners or cell phones to schedule our important meetings or appointments we cannot afford to miss. When you treat your gym time in the same manner, you are more likely to protect that time as sacred. Remember that putting your health first for a couple hours each week will pay off in dividends down the road. Schedule and protect your gym time at all costs.
Keep a journal.
It is important to track your progress. Knowing your baseline numbers may not be appealing now but down the road you will appreciate it. Logging your workouts allows you not only to gather information with respect to sets reps and times, but it provides more accountability when assessing whether or not you are working wisely towards the end goal.
Your journal should serve as a daily reminder that the next page needs to be filled. Leave it somewhere you will see it often so you are more likely to hit the gym and record some new personal bests.
Get a personal trainer.
Hiring a personal trainer will help you stay focused on achieving results. Trainers can assess any imbalances or weakness you may have and help prescribe programs to correct these issues. A trainer can also provide a different perspective on how best to attain your goals.
Also, when you invest time and money, you are far more likely to follow through. Hiring a trainer even once a month to do some testing and to give you new programs to work on will greatly increase your chances of reaching your goals.
Reward yourself.
Working out should be something you look forward to. When you reach a goal, it is important to reward yourself.
Celebrating your success is critical, whether it was losing 10 lbs, hitting a new personal best on a dead lift or surviving your first month in a gym. Be proud of your accomplishments and reward yourself with an extra personal training session, a new workout t-shirt or maybe go buy yourself a fitness book. Whatever you decide, just be sure to give yourself a reward that helps you continue toward the end goal.
—–
Whether you are reading this Jan. 1, Dec. 31 or anytime in between, when you decide to make a change to be better than yesterday, these five tips will help you find success. Make a resolution you stick to this year, I promise you won’t regret it.
Aaron Sidenberg is the owner of The Basement Fitness.
