How To Keep Your New Year’s Fitness Resolutions Alive

The numbers don’t lie. By the middle of February, many people have already given up on their New Year’s fitness resolutions. Of the millions of Americans who participate in this annual ritual, more than 25 percent of them vow to lose weight, tone their muscles, and improve their health. Unfortunately, more people fail to keep this promise to themselves than those who stick with it. That may sound discouraging, but there is nothing to say you must be one of them.

 

Challenge Yourself with a Fitness Tracker

Human beings are competitive by nature, even when the only person we’re competing with is ourselves. Fitness trackers make it easy to do just that. You might be surprised at just how much data one of these devices can store, such as:

  • Number of steps taken in a day
  • Number of miles walked in a day
  • Heart rate
  • Stairs climbed
  • Number of active minutes
  • Calories burned

When you wear your tracker each day, you have a visual record of all your activity. While this is helpful at the gym, seeing how active – or inactive – you are in everyday life can be an eye-opening experience. As you meet one of the goals listed above, be sure to adjust it to continually challenge yourself. Many of the latest fitness trackers sync with your computer so you can view and print reports on whatever you choose.

 

Get Healthy with a Little Help from Your Friends

You probably have at least one friend with similar fitness goals. Don’t be shy about asking your social circle if anyone would like an accountability partner. Knowing that you must tell someone else that you skipped your workout makes it much less likely that you will. Other possibilities include joining a fitness class or walking group, participating in a weight loss contest, or hiring a personal trainer. We can tell you from experience that the personal trainers at Cape Carteret Aquatic & Wellness will push you to your physical limits and hold you accountable for results.

 

Reward Yourself in Small Ways

Few people would set an alarm, drive to work, and spend eight or more hours doing a job they might not even like if not for the reward of a paycheck. The same principle applies to fitness. It’s true that you have the reward of improved health, but you might be a long way from reaping the benefits of your efforts today. Small, non-food items such as a new shirt for sticking to your exercise routine or a weekend getaway for meeting a weight loss goal help to keep you motivated.

 

The Biggest Battle is in Your Mind

You might not complete an intense workout every day, but it’s essential that you decide to keep moving no matter what. Challenging your excuses and getting up off the couch when you don’t want to is what will keep you sticking with your 2017 New Year’s resolutions into 2018 and beyond. We even have two new machines for you to check out.

So if you made a resolution to exercise and eat better this year, how are you doing with that? If you’re having trouble sticking to it, what are you going to do about it? We can help! Let us know below or stop by the front desk the next time your at the gym!