The new year is quickly approaching and let’s face it, most people center their resolutions on fitness. They want to lose some pounds, build some muscle, gain strength and just get into better shape.
Pretty much all the ancillary resolutions like cutting down on alcohol, giving up late-night eating and stopping the intake of sugar all contribute to fitness resolutions.
With that being the case, there is a characteristically high amount of people that make said proclamations on New Year’s Eve when they’re toasting with friends and family members at the stroke of midnight.
The problem is, those resolutions often don’t see the light of day. Or, they keep getting put off. Or even worse, they are started, and by the end of January, they come to an abrupt halt.
Why? Most likely because there was not enough planning involved. It was more of a “wing-it” scenario where things were not well thought out. But you don’t have to worry about that this year because you’re about to receive some fool-proof advice on how to start and maintain your fitness resolutions. Let’s get right down to it!
Set realistic, specific goals.
In the grand scheme of things, resolutions are really nothing more than goals, so you should treat them that way. And in order to lose the weight or gain the strength or have the body that you so desire, you need to be very precise. In other words, you need to clearly identify your goals. Here is an example, and this one hits home with me.
Becoming stage-ready is not a good resolution. It’s too vague. You need to be more specific. Entering a physique competition that takes place on March 23rd, becoming 5% body fat and working out 6 days a week at 6 am in the morning at Globo Gym is VERY specific.
Treat your fitness resolutions with this type of precision and you are bound to achieve success. But also be realistic. If you set goals that are too extreme, you run the risk of not starting in the first place.
Create powerful motivators to keep you on track.
What makes you jump out of bed with enthusiasm every morning? Think about it really hard. These would be key motivators that you’re going to need to achieve your fitness resolutions.
Perhaps you have excess weight in your stomach and various health issues run in your family. Maybe you’ve seen your father or another loved one become really sick and homebound with very little mobility and you saw the toll it took on their quality of life.
You do not want to suffer the same fate and you love the idea of being spry, energized and in good health. Use that as a key motivator to stay on track with your fitness resolution.
Feel free to come up with two or three or four motivators. The more you have, the easier it’ll be to get your arse to the gym early on those frosty, snowy winter mornings. The path of least resistance is to hit the alarm, roll over and remain nice and cozy in your bed.
But that strategy doesn’t burn many calories and life begins at the end of your comfort zone. So… get uncomfortable, think about WHY you are making your resolutions and do whatever it takes to achieve them. Setting up those motivators will really help grease the wheel and keep you headed in the right direction at all times.
Don’t listen to the FAKE influencers.
Hey, if you’re legit and have a positive message and thousands of followers on social media, that’s great! I commend you and more power to you. But YOU need to tread water very lightly when it comes to social influence.
There are so many occasions that clients, friends and family members come to me and ask about a particular exercise or workout or supplement or dietary hack, and I’m blown away. I ask, “where the h*** did you hear that from?” They then proceed to tell me about so and so who they saw on TikTok and I just roll my eyes.
Simply put, you are a unique individual. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. Just because someone is getting millions of views and has an equal amount of followers doesn’t mean diddly squat in the REAL game of life.
Don’t be fooled by all the hype. There are a lot of fake bodies, fake claims and fake information being put out just to pad Likes, followers and subscribers. If you’re looking for quality information to assist in your fitness resolutions, make doubly sure that it’s coming from someone legit.
Do your research on the person, make sure they don’t just have THEIR best interest in mind and move forward accordingly.
Take at least SOME action every day.
Have you ever been under the gun at work with a time-sensitive project? It can be both physically and mentally taxing. Honestly, it can become so overwhelming that you may struggle to even do it. The same exact thing can happen with your fitness resolutions.
The key in both of these situations is to take at least some action every day. Small bites are easier to chew than big ones. If you are aiming to lose 20 lbs., don’t give up after a week when you’ve only lost one. That’s actually good progress because slow and steady weight loss is the kind that actually lasts a lifetime.
Endeavor to do something positive toward your resolution every day, no matter how small it is, even if you do not meet your original goal. For example, if you were planning on doing a 60-minute workout and didn’t have time for it, do 5 minutes of exercise. Then regroup and hit it hard the next day for the time you had hoped for.
Small amounts of progress like this will add up and keep the positive flow going.
Do not compare yourself to others.
As the saying goes, “comparison is the thief of joy.” This simply means that you will more often than not be disappointed when you compare yourself to other people. No two bodies are exactly the same. Remember that.
It’s fine to refer to a picture of another person you might want to look like, such as a bodybuilder, fitness model or athlete. But never get sucked too far into the vortex and attach to the idea of being just as chiseled as them. You are setting yourself up for failure in this case.
Just use the image of others as inspiration and get to a point where you are healthy, happy and comfortable in your own skin. That’s really all you’ll ever need.
Closing Thoughts
Hopefully this shed some light on how to succeed with your fitness resolutions in the upcoming year. Before I depart, I’d like to mention one more quick thing. It’s always a good idea to write things down so you can look over your plan on a daily basis.
Include your goals, your motivators and any other thoughts on why you want to be the change and the best version of you that you can. This will always help you get to the end point faster and with less resistance.
Have a Happy New Year and always feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments.
About the Creator: A Life and Career Dedicated to Healthy Living
Kevin David Rail is a Fitness Nutrition Specialist who’s certified through ACSM, ACE, NASM and AFM. He has a BS in Sport Management/Fitness and Wellness and was featured in the documentary films Fasting and The Motivation Factor for his expertise as a health and fitness professional. Kevin has helped thousands of people change their lives, lose weight, transform their bodies and become more motivated to take action.
He can be found on social media here:
- Instagram: fastingfitness_pro
- Facebook: Kevin David Rail
- YouTube: Fasting for Fitness
- LinkedIn: Kevin David Rail
- TikTok: @mibfit
- Twitter: @TrainerRail
