This is the time of year when I’m especially glad I work out at home instead of going to the gym.
Anytime I’ve been a member of a gym, it was always frustrating to go in for my normal routine in January, only to find that there are no treadmills available, free weights scattered across the floor, and New Year’s Resolutionists chatting on gym equipment instead of using it.
I get the appeal of the idea of a “new year, new you,” but as someone who tries to make healthy changes in my life on a fairly regular basis, it’s irritating to deal with the hordes of people who suddenly realize that months of holiday indulging has left their jeans fitting a little tighter.
That said, it would be nice to share my love for exercise and nutrition with my family and friends, so while I will continue to avoid the gym during the first part of the year (and likely the rest), I hope they don’t.
One of the biggest challenges for people who resolve to lose weight, get fit, or be healthier in January is that they try to take on too much, too soon.
A good idea is to start by cutting out the unhealthiest thing in your diet – whether it’s fried food, pop or sweets. Once you’ve weaned yourself off that one indulgence, you’re a bit stronger and more able to take on more.
Diet is the hardest thing for most people to change, but it provides the foundation for a healthy lifestyle. A huge mistake many New Year’s Resolutionists make is thinking that because they are spending an hour a day at the gym, they can eat whatever they want to make up the calories.
Unfortunately, that’s not how it works, and can cause many people to actually gain weight when they first start trying to lose.
It’s easy to overdo it on the exercise too, when you are starting out or getting back into the routine. If you haven’t gone for a run in six years, you can’t lace up your shoes and run a 10k.
When I started running, I used a training program to keep me from overdoing it and hurting myself.
It was frustrating at times, especially as I got stronger and felt capable of doing more, but it’s important to stick to it and build up to your goals.
Setting clear goals makes it a lot easier to stick to your resolution, because you have something concrete to work toward.
‘Getting healthy’ is a great idea, but it’s important to be more specific so that you can track your progress.
Often, one of the reasons why many New Year’s Resolutionists stop going to the gym by the first week of February is because they haven’t seen the results they were hoping for.
Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t something anyone can accomplish in a month.
It takes 21 days for a behaviour to become a habit, and even then, you need continued dedication to make your health a priority.
And much like building your own house, you shouldn’t start without a bit of knowledge.
Professionals like personal trainers and nutritionists can help build a solid foundation to help anyone stick to their own health and fitness goals, and can provide motivation to keep you going well into 2015.
As for me, I plan to continue striving to improve myself in the new year. No resolutions, just the drive to stick to my goals and keep getting better. This is the year I run an under seven-minute mile.
I can feel it.
