Thanksgiving,
even Halloween, marks the start of the holiday marathon. Each mile along the
way, we attend holiday parties, indulge in sweet treats, devour delicious foods
and sip on tasty drinks. With each indulgence through the Christmas
season, a promise is made to jumpstart the new year with a New Year's
Resolution to eat less, eat healthily and most of all, get in shape. By Jan. 1,
we cross the finish line, ready to kick this resolution into high
And that's great!
It's fun to make a New Year's resolution and there's no better time than at the
start of the year to make a healthy change. Yet, resolutions have a reputation
for dissipating — only to disappear and re-emerge in 10 months. Sound familiar?
If you want to begin a fitness renovation, here are tips to help ensure its
permanence.
The Gym Isn't Your
Resolution One Day at a Time
Empower your
resolution by resolving to practice commitment and accountability, rather than
"going to the gym six days a week." Your goal is to stay committed to
an idea and hold yourself accountable. It's easy to excuse yourself from your
gym responsibilities because of work stress, family obligations or lack of
time. But can you accept that you dropped the ball on personal commitment and
accountability? These are your New Year's resolutions — to live with commitment
and hold yourself responsible. Embrace and follow through with these positive
qualities. Your health and fitness will only improve as a side effect.
Track your feelings
Change is a
struggle. It's natural to default to old habits, feel uncomfortable and want to
give up. Don't expect a change to be fluid progress. There will be moments of
defeat and feelings of discouragement that could lead you to want to abandon it
all. Take it one day at a time. You may actually have to "start over"
every single day. You may have a good week and then a bad two weeks. Your third
week is a fresh start to begin again. The goal is the journey itself because
living a healthy and active lifestyle is supposed to be never-ending.
Many experts
recommend keeping a food journal as a way to track what and how much you're
eating. Rather than using guilt and shame as a way to eat better, keep track
about how eating better or working out makes you feel. You can do this with a journal, by
noting a thumbs up or smiley face (or frown...) on your calendar, posting on
facebook, or even by giving yourself a gold star for each time you do something
for your health that leaves you feeling good. Find a way to keep track that
fits with your personality.
Exercise and
increasing your heart rate releases endorphins that in the long run,
after you get used to your routine, leaves you feeling good. Regularly working
out also boosts serotonin levels, which can energize and create clearer
thinking. Although you may feel great after a workout on day, you may forget
about that high during work the next day when you're tired and feeling
stressed. By keeping track, you can remind yourself of the positive end
result. Why wouldn't you want to feel that way again? The sweat and burn of an
intense cycle class in the morning begins the day with an endorphin high.
Completing a three-mile run after work leaves you proud with accomplishment.
Keep track of your feelings after you exercise and use your data on you as
inspiration for doing it again.
Fitness doesn't have
to be an arduous, lonely task that's just part of your
daily grind. One of the most beneficial ways to work out is to take a 20
- 40 minute walk every day. Walking is something you can do at most any age.
Social Exercise
Another way to
enhance your exercise routine by turning it into an event to experience
-- Guest post by
Social Monsters
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