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The Top 6
Strategies for
Keeping New
Year's
Resolutions Year
Round!
-By
Mark
Woodgate
Every
year thousands of people make new year's resolutions ranging
from giving up
smoking, to getting more organised, to getting fit and losing weight.
However,
according to studies, 35%
of all New Year's Resolutions are
broken within the first 4 weeks. How about you? Have you ever started
the New Year with an initial burst of enthusiasm and the firm
resolve to change your ways, but by February those
nasty habits have crept back in again?
If so, this
article is for you! Read on to find out how to keep your New
Year's resolutions year round.
The Number 1 New Year's
Resolution.
A survey
conducted by a leading international health magazine revealed that the
number 1 New Year's Resolutions are:
a) Lose Weight
and b) Get Fit
We're all aware
of the importance of maintaining a healthy bodyweight
and adequate level of cardiovascular fitness. After all, your
health and
fitness is the foundation for everything that's good in life.
Therefore, if you're tired
of being overweight, unfit, unhealthy (or all of the above) and your
New Year's Resolution is to lose weight and get fit, here are
the top 6 strategies to integrate into your daily
lifestyle and avoid being a New Year's Resolutionary drop
out!
1) Avoid the 'All or Nothing'
Approach!
Ok, you're all
fired up. You're going to lose 20 pounds in the first 20 days. And to
achieve this you're going to go on a low carb, low calorie diet of less
than 1500 cals per day. Plus you're going to exercise 6 days
per week for a minimum of 1 hour at a time.
Sounds doable,
right? But here's why this approach is guaranteed to
fail!
It all has to do with SUSTAINABILITY...
95% of people
who go on calorie reduced commercial diets regain
their weight
-and sometimes more -within a period of 24 months or less. Always ask
the question, 'Can I sustain this type of eating
plan week after week, month after month, year after
year? Or am I be likely to feel deprived, give in to cravings
and overindulge within a few short weeks. (The most common scenario.)
Plus with all that exercise, there's a good chance that the
weight you lose is not going to be just bodyfat. Excessive
exercise, coupled with a calorie reduced
diet, usually results in a loss of water weight and lean
muscle. This means that your weight loss is likely to be very temporary
as your reduced lean muscle mass
actually compromises your body's ability
to burn fat in the longterm.
Therefore
your nutrition plan should be one you
can adhere to without any deprivation. This means having the
occasional cheat meal built into your
plan so that you'll be less
likely to go off the rails!
If your
nutrition plan / training programme is too strict you'll most
likely get frustrated and give up. That's why it's called
'all or nothing.' We need to find the middle road!
Programmes such
as the Body
Blueprint 5 Week LEAN Programme and Body Blueprint 12 Week
Challenge have sensible, balanced
nutrition plans
and the exercise component is only 4-5 hours per week. In
other words, these programmes are also sustainable in
the longterm.
nb: If your
goal is to lose weight and keep it off longterm, it's not enough to do
only cardiovascular work such as running, swimming cycling etc. It's
imperative to include some form
of resistance training (weight bearing) exercise as well.
2)
Prioritise and Diarise!
As you've
established that your health
and fitness is your top priority, make sure to book your
exercise times in your
weekly planner. This is YOUR time! In other words, schedule everything
else around these times. And remember, work commitments
will always be waiting no matter what. If you delay
exercising, the more likely it is that other things will
present
themselves during the course of the day and consume your precious
workout time.
Tip: Where
possible, train first thing in the morning. It's a great way
to start the day and studies show you'll burn more fat as well.
3) Get
Organised!
Don't leave it
to chance! If your nutrition plan calls for 3 small
meals and 2 small snacks everyday, spend an extra 15 mins in
the
evening and prepare your meals ahead of time. (the best time
is when you're preparing dinner.) Not only will this save you
time the next day,
you'll be less likely to indulge on unhealthy snacks and save money in
the process.
And don't forget
to have your
workout gear, trainers and ipod ready to go for the next
day!
4) Surround
Yourself with Supportive People
Know that there will be
times when the going gets tough and when you'd rather have a
day off or
have an extra cheat meal. (Don't get me wrong, every now and then is
fine, just make it the exception rather than the
rule.)
It's in these
moments that it really helps to have supportive
friends, family and/or co-workers. Make friends with
members at your local gym who share in your common goals and who have
found ways to overcome these temporary challenges. You might
even consider working out with a buddy. Not only will this keep your
workouts fun
and exciting, you'll have
some healthy competition as well!
5) Remind
Yourself Why!
If you
find that you start to procrastinate and excuses creep
in, remind yourself why you
started exercising and eating well in the first place. What was it that
motivated you to change your ways? Perhaps you were tired of
feeling run down and low on energy? Maybe you wanted to start feeling
more confident and boost your self esteem? Perhaps
you wanted to have more energy for your kids? Do you really
want to
go back to that 'dark place' by neglecting your
health?
However, once
you've been exercising consistently for a couple of months I
guarantee
you'll experience some major physical and psychological
benefits that will keep you coming back for more!
6) Use External
Sources of Motivation
Unless you're a
very highly motivated individual it's unrealistic
to stay 100% motivated 100% of the time. Some of the external
motivational tools you can draw upon from time to time
include:
a) Personal
trainers.
Think of a
personal trainer as your personal coach. They can design new
programmes, spice up your workouts and train with you one on one.
Appointments at set intervals keep you accountable and on target toward
your goals.
b)
Motivational CD's/ Books /Movies
Some of my favourites
include motivational guru Anthony Robbins and the book /movie
'The Secret' by Rhonda Byrne.
c) Inspirational
Music
Music is an
excellent compliment to your exercise programme. Make a playlist of
your favourite motivational songs for your mp3 or ipod and watch your
workouts soar!
Conclusion
Make this year
the healthiest year of your life. By following the principles
outlined above you'll keep your New Year's Resolution intact and enjoy
the benefits of health and fitness year round.
More articles by Mark
Woodgate: 5 Ways to Spice Up Your Workouts! The Top 12 Anti-Aging Tips! The REAL Secret to Permanent Fat Loss! Simplify Your Life TODAY! Top 10 Reasons You're not Losing Weight! The Top 7 Ways to Avoid Being an Exercise Dropout! Are You Applying the '5 and 5' Rule? Why
BMI Should Be Outlawed!
The
Top 10 Health Myths Finally Exposed!
The
Shocking Truth About Cardio!
Recession
Proof Your Health!
The
'No More Excuses' 30 Minute Workout!
The
Body Blueprint 12 Week Challenge - Why it Works!
How
Exercise Can Save You THOUSANDS of Dollars!
The
Myth
of the Fat Burning Zone!
Are
you Starving Yourself to Fatness?
Is
Vitamin & Mineral Supplementation Necessary? A
Word
of
Caution BEFORE you Venture into the Sun this Summer!
Body
Blueprint
Personal Training
"Dedicated to
Providing Quality Individualised Personal Training"
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