Tips to Stick with Your New Year’s Resolution

The New Year is often a time to start anew. Put the bad things of the past 365 days and step forward into the next 365 with positivity, optimism, and new goals for a better you and future.

These goals, or New Year’s Resolutions, often revolve around health. Gym memberships go up, people use the new workout clothes they got for Christmas, and the running trails get packed. All of that is good! Never let gym rats make fun of you or others bring you down because you are using this event to better yourself. Prove those who say, “This gym will be empty again within a month” wrong. You may have failed to stick to your New Year’s Resolution last year, but remember,  the New Year is for putting that behind you. Follow these tips to make sure you meet your New Year’s Resolution.

Step 1: Have a GOOD New Year’s Resolution

Your resolution needs to be personal and it needs to be specific. Know yourself and know your body’s capabilities. Do not make a Resolution that is impossible to achieve. Ask your physical therapist how much weight you should lose to be healthy. Ask your physical therapist which muscle groups you really need to improve for peak performance. Set a time for your next race or a weight you want to be able to lift. Write it down and put it somewhere you can see daily.

Step 2: Have a Mapped Out Plan

If there is no plan in place, you will get off track, get discouraged, and not reach your goal. Don’t know where to start? Ask an expert. Get your physical therapist’s advice on how to best go about reaching your goals safely and free of injury! Your map should be detailed and involve smaller goals in the quest to achieve your New Year’s Resolution. Is your goal to lose weight? Celebrate every 2 pounds you lose! Encourage yourself for each little win on the way to complete success, get addicted to that feeling, and reaching your final goal will be a breeze.

Step 3: Have a Friend

An accountability partner can be one of the most helpful pieces of achieving your New Year’s Resolution. We have a whole blog on our website about it called How to Meet Your Goals. An accountability partner is often someone around the same level of fitness or  health from you, but can really be anyone that also wants to be healthier and more fit. Having a friend to work out with gives you 4 things: accountability, companionship, competition, energy. So keep an eye out for a friend or family member who has their own New Year’s Resolution, or encourage them to join you in bettering yourselves!

Step 4: Have Fun

Cliche? Yes. Helpful? Yes. Working out or training for something can get tedious and boring if you don’t do it right. Plan different types of workouts that will not only keep you engaged but will also strengthen your body in different ways and help with overall strength and wellness of the body. Step 3 can really help with this as well. Walking or running alone for a long period of time is boring. Having a friend to chat with can make a world of difference. Workouts can be fun as well. Many different gyms or fitness centers have groups and classes that are exciting and fun. Find some different ones and give them a try!

Don’t let this new year be the same as the old ones. Follow through with your New Year’s Resolutions and prove all those Resolution haters wrong, prove to yourself you can do it, and pay attention to the many positives that come from a healthier lifestyle (like better sleep and combating depression to name two). Whatever your motivation, follow these steps, achiever your New Year’s Resolution, and Stay in the Game.