Sticking with it
Be sure you honour your commitment to make this the year you get in shape – and stay in shape! Here are 10 tips to help you stick with your New Year's resolution to exercise more.
- Schedule your workouts. Note in your calendar the date and time of your workouts for the next four weeks or more. You'll be less likely to miss or cancel a session when you book it like an appointment.
- Make yourself accountable. It helps to have a tangible, external commitment, whether it's to an exercise buddy who's counting on you, or to your budget because you've spent money on a gym pass.
- Reward yourself. Celebrate being active with regular rewards, especially at the beginning.
- Ratchet up the routine. You know the burn you get when you first start exercising? Once that disappears you need to find ways to shift back into high gear by increasing intensity or duration, trying new moves, or exploring a new sport. This will also help prevent boredom.
- Work hard – and rest. Be sure to take regular rest days to give your body enough time to recover, and to prevent injury.
- Set milestones. You may have a long-term goal, but do also set shorter-term milestones. Maybe it's running a kilometre without stopping, or doing 10 sit-ups. Once you reach your goal, celebrate and then set another. Before you know it, you'll be entering that road race or doing more crunches than you ever thought possible.
- Add some music. Try listening to music you enjoy while you exercise. It will help distract you and pass the time more quickly, and it may increase the intensity of your exercise session. Rotate your playlist regularly.
- Take it 10 at a time. There will be days when it's too cold, or you feel too tired to exercise. Instead of giving in, tell yourself you'll just do something for 10 minutes. That's usually manageable, and chances are, once you start, you'll keep going.
- Take the bad with the good. You'll experience ups and downs on the road to getting – and staying – fit. Don't beat yourself up if you are tired and have a less than stellar workout. Instead, give yourself a pat on the back for getting out and doing it anyway.
- Focus on the feel. After a while, you'll notice changes: you may sleep better, have more energy, feel stronger. You may even find your clothes fit better. Take note of these changes — they are part of your reward for getting in shape, and this positive feedback loop can help motivate you to keep going.