For many people, the beginning of another year prompts the “new year, new me” attitude, thus increasing the motivation to set new goals. Despite being notoriously cliché, New Year’s resolutions can be a perfect start to a permanent lifestyle change. As the psychologist Brian King says, for this to happen, one needs to form a habit, and that requires “work and a lot of repetitions”. All of this applies to achieving your fitness goals, too. Read on to discover some tips that can help you not only get in shape but stay motivated to keep your fitness routine up in the long run and make the New Year’s resolution a reality.

Choose The Appropriate Place For Your Workouts

The first step to upping your fitness game is figuring out where to carry out your workouts. There is a variety of factors you should take into account before making this decision. While you may think that the obvious answer is to simply hit the gym, this isn’t the only option to consider. Certainly, if you find that being surrounded by other people keeps you accountable and motivated, the gym is a great fit for you. However, if you feel self-conscious and find that the presence of other people makes it difficult for you to relax, then doing home workouts might be a more viable option.

Choose The Adequate Type Of Workout

The type of workout that you should opt for depends on your fitness level and preferences. Regardless of whether you chose to work out at home or at the gym, you need an exercise plan. Luckily, there is an abundance of YouTube workout videos and mobile apps that you can follow, as well as workout plans that you can purchase. In case you are a complete beginner in the world of fitness and generally lead a very sedentary lifestyle, taking frequent walks in nature can be a great start before you embark on a full-out training journey. If you find that you can’t motivate yourself to do all the work alone, then you can always sign up for aerobics or other types of fitness classes where you have an instructor.

Make A Workout Plan That You Can Stick To

The most common reason why people’s New Year’s resolution plans fall through is because of high expectations. Thus to make your resolution a reality, it’s essential not to overwhelm yourself by establishing unrealistic goals. A much more practical approach would be to take small steps and build up from there. For example, if you are a complete beginner in terms of fitness, even doing 5-minute workouts at first, and then gradually increasing their duration and intensity can do wonders. Although you can’t expect to see results in your physique right away, being able to go through an entire workout will give you the confidence to keep going. Eventually, the results will be visible, as well. There is no excuse not to pick out a stylish pair of leggings immediately, andstart a few-minute-long workout.

Track Your Progress To Motivate Yourself

Regardless of what you wish to get out of fitness, being able to actually see the progress is the key to staying on track. This pertains to keeping a record of your accomplishments in a journal or an app. For example, you can write down your measurements every two weeks, the number of repetitions you can pull off in each exercise, and so on. Another effective way to motivate yourself is by taking pictures regularly, since that way you’ll be able to clearly see the difference, which you wouldn’t be able to just by looking at the mirror.

Create A Reward System

Although seeing progress can be helpful to keep you in high spirits, sometimes it’s not sufficient. What is more, you won’t be seeing results after the first days of exercise, which might make you want to toss away your training shoes. Creating a reward system for yourself may sound silly at first but it has shown to be a highly motivating factor. This can be as simple as allowing yourself to watch a movie after a workout. It can be helpful to jot down the rewards for each completed task next to your workout plan, to avoid overindulging and keep yourself accountable.

Making a New Year’s resolution is a great start but the key is being consistent and determined to make this goal long-term. Thus, it’s essential to put some effort into a strategy to help you find a routine that is sustainable and enjoyable for you to make the resolution a reality.

Author Bio

Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in business and marketing related topics.

In her free time she enjoys exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family.