New Year's Resolution, and I'm sticking to it this time...

Let's check out the numbers. According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 40 to 45% of American adults make one or more resolutions each year. Among the top new years resolutions are those about weight loss, exercise, and kicking the habit (smoking). I've been in the gym since 2000 and I personally have no problem with those new years resolutioners who crowd the gym from January to March. The more of them that come means more potential business for me :) However, it would be nice if at least one person would make the resolution and stick to it. I think most people make it too difficult for themselves to attain those high standards they set. Exercise resolutions shouldn't be that hard to attain. I recently heard a trainer give his three rules for setting your new years resolutions.

1. Use the negativity of others to fuel your motivation.
2. Tell everyone about your goals.
3. Set the bar low.

These are excellent rules that could actually work for you.

Most people I come across do not like to workout because they associate it with negativity. I've received the following excuses: it's too hard, too boring, it hurts, I'm way too busy, I don't like gyms, I don't know what to do, I don't like to sweat, I don't like to run, I don't want to get big muscles, I don't need to exercise... You name it, they've got an excuse. Instead of having a negative approach to exercise, people should find ways to spin negativity to their advantage. Think of every person that said you can't lose those 10 pounds by June and consider how jealous they will be when you do. Besides, sweat is your bodies way of cooling itself down, it doesn't have to hurt when you workout, and I believe people find time for what they want to make time for (my rebuttal for the top three excuses I hear).

By telling everyone your fitness goals you are holding yourself accountable for actually attaining those fitness goals. The more people you tell the more people will ask you about your progress and you will be less likely to fall off the wagon. Besides, some of those people you tell can become a good support system for when your feeling the itch to quit.

When you set the bar too high you could be setting yourself up for failure and you could try to use it as an excuse to quit later down the road. Start with small attainable goals like jog for 5 minutes every time you do your 20 minute brisk walks on the treadmill, eat one fruit and one vegetable per day, or even find a new workout buddy. Once you've achieved the initial goal, set another and continue the trend.

One of my new years resolutions was to start a fitness blog. Have you made any fitness related new years resolutions? Share your resolutions on my blog!

And on that note I leave you with this weeks "fitness don't". Don't go balls to the wall when starting a workout program. You're workout intensity need not be extreme. You just need to get your body moving. Eventually your body will adjust and you will start to seek out more challenging programs.