Are you tired of making New Year’s health and fitness resolutions only to fall back into your old ways by March? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can drastically increase your chances of achieving your long-term fitness goals this year by adopting five specific strategies:
1. Create a plan
The very first thing you need to do on your journey back to health and fitness is to identify your goal. Do you need to lose weight? Do you want to run a 10K? Or are you simply wanting to tone up for a summer on the beach? Once you’ve identified your goal, you can start to formulate your plan of action.
Exercise is the main part of any fitness regime, so you need to make it your priority. Identify the times of the week during which you have the time for exercise, and make sure you schedule workouts at these times. An exercise schedule for every week will focus you – and ensure you always have the time for working out.
Try to get specific with your action plan too. For instance, you can keep things fresh and interesting by playing team sports on certain days and working out in the gym on others. Choose activities that excite you, and exercise won’t seem like a chore.
2. Get social
Road running, lifting weights and swimming can be lonely pursuits at times, and they can get a little monotonous over a period of several months. But by exercising with friends, family or work colleagues, you can keep your workouts fun and interesting. Having someone to exercise with not only provides you with a welcome distraction, it also gives you added motivation to keep going when things get tough.
3. Embrace technology
There is a huge range of gadgets and tech related to health and fitness at the moment. Whether you use a gaming console for virtual workouts or wearable tech to monitor your activity, the latest technology can make health and fitness regimes easier, more effective and a lot more fun.
An increasingly popular health and fitness aid is the Kiqplan 12-week fitness plan, a digital coaching app that links to the latest Android devices, Apple phones and the Fitbug activity tracker. This intuitive app uses information about you, your activity levels and advice from experts to tailor a specific fitness programme based on your needs and your current state of health.
4. Don’t make things too hard
Too many people commit to overly challenging New Year’s resolutions when it comes to health, fitness and weight loss. They begin their new regime with all guns blazing and burn themselves out by pushing too hard too soon. Don’t make the same mistake!
Your New Year’s resolution should not be about achieving quick results. Make your commitment to fitness all about changing your lifestyle, long-term. Eating healthily and exercising regularly should be how you live your life, not just a short-term means to an end.
5. Fuel your body
Food is your friend, and not something you should be worrying about. While you need to regulate the calories you consume, it is important not to go too far the other way and deprive yourself of the fuel your body needs.
One of the most important things you can do to ensure that you achieve your fitness goals year is to eat a healthy, protein-rich breakfast every day. Research has shown that people who eat a significant breakfast every day are much more likely to maintain a healthy body weight and fitness level in the long run.
If you need to lose weight, there is no escaping the fact that you will need to burn more calories than you consume on a daily basis. However, consuming too few calories over several weeks will leave you lacking the energy you need to exercise. Moreover, starving yourself can result in cravings for the very foods you’re trying to avoid.
The starting point for working out your calorie allowance should be the standard daily recommended intake: 2,500 for men and around 2,000 for women. But you also need to take into account your size, muscle density and activity levels. This can be a challenging balancing act to get right, but a fitness app should help you to moderate your calorie consumption for long-term success.
Don’t let this New Year’s resolution go the same way as all the rest – make health and fitness part of your daily life.