Many of us have been writing out our resolutions and promising ourselves that we are actually going to keep them this year. However, many resolutions are broken despite our best efforts. Among the top 3 resolutions for the years 2015 and 2016 were fitness and health resolutions. However, health and fitness resolutions are among the resolutions that are most often broken. Here's some tips on how to keep your health and fitness resolutions this year.
1. Drink less soda
Now, this is an easy way to improve your health but is often overlooked. Some easy ways to drink less soda are to resolve to only drink soda on the weekends, to limit yourself to a certain number of sodas a week, or to only drink sodas after a certain time of day. limiting your soda consumption can be very achievable if you put your mind to it.
2. Drink more water
Water has many health benefits which are probably because our bodies are made up of mostly water. Increase in hydration can lead to better skin, better digestion, weight loss, etc. Some easy ways to increase your water consumption are to carry a water bottle with you, choose water over other beverages, or to flavor your water with different fruits. Lemons are a very popular way to flavor water, but make sure to drink lemon water through a straw to avoid harming the enamel on your teeth.
3. Set a regular time to work out
Working out may be one of the hardest aspects of your resolution to keep, especially if you're busy. However, scheduling in a specific time to go to the gym or do a quick run makes it easier to workout. Set aside an hour of your time at the same time every day to get in a quick sweat session. It will keep you motivated and prevent excuses.
4. Join a fitness challenge
Joining a fitness challenge can help you get into the habit of working out. Many challenges will send you a pre-planned workout for the duration of the challenge. It's much easier to stay motivated and disciplined when you know the challenge is only for so long. The best part about challenges is that they can be found year-round! If you're looking for a place to start, Toneitup.com offers daily workouts and various challenges throughout the year.
5. Keep everything in a positive light
It's much easier to achieve your goals if they are based in a positive light rather than a negative one. So don't tell yourself you want to workout more and eat healthier because you hate your body. Instead, tell yourself you want to workout more and eat healthier because you love your body and you want to keep it healthier. If you place things in a positive light, you'll be more likely to keep up with it.
6. Instead of cutting out, just restrict.
It's much harder to keep on track if you tell yourself you can never have something again. If you want to eat less junk food, don't completely cut it out but put restrictions on it. Tell yourself you can only eat out twice a month, or that you can only eat dessert twice a week. This will help you not only cut back on eating junk food, but it will keep you motivated by giving you something to look forward to.
7. Treat Yo' Self
Once you hit benchmarks in your health/fitness resolutions, you should treat yourself. If you've finally gotten to the point where you can use 10 pound weights, go to a movie. Or if you've lost 15 pounds, allow yourself to indulge in a milkshake. Giving yourself benchmarks with rewards you enjoy will help you push through when things get harder.
8. Find a partner
Take it from me, it's a lot easier to workout everyday if you have someone to workout with. Having a partner who is waiting on you is a good way to make sure you keep with your resolutions. Just make sure that you find someone who is close to the same fitness level as you. That way you can really push each other.
9. Make one change at a time
If you're trying to make changes to your health and fitness, it's good to start with one change and gradually add on. For instance, start by working out more and drinking less soda. Then add on eating less carbs or drinking more water. Keep adding on until you are at the life style you want. It's much more manageable to get into one habit at a time rather than add on a bunch of new habits.
10. Ask yourself why you want this
Superficial goals will not supply enough motivation to keep you going throughout the year. Make sure you are not basing your resolution off of how someone else looks. Base your resolutions off of health benefits and personal reasons that have deeper meaning to you. These types of goals will keep you determined and motivated through the tough parts.
I hope these tips have given you some good insights into how to keep your resolutions. It can be hard when changing lifestyle habits, but it will be totally worth it in the end.
