5 Tips To Make A Successful Fitness Resolution

Hey everyone! And happy New Year’s Eve!! This time of the year is a time when we all pause and reflect on the year that was. Many of us look at it as an opportunity to make some changes in the upcoming year. Did you know that the most-made New Year’s resolutions have to do with health and fitness? Whether it’s “lose weight”, “exercise more” or “eat healthier”, there is no resolution made more than resolving to get healthier this upcoming year. But how often do resolutions really last? One month? Maybe two? Unfortunately with health and fitness resolutions being the most-popular that also means that they’re the most-broken! Well I’m telling you right now – this year is the year to be different. This is the year that things change and that you will be able to stick with your goals and see them through to completion. I’m excited to tell you how to do it…

Check out 5 essential tips to making any New Year’s resolution last. These pointers will ensure not only that you stick with your goals, but that you will see improvements that beg to be noticed…

1. Use definitive numbers – The most-common mistake that I see when people make fitness goals is that they leave things completely ambiguous. “I want to lose weight this year.” Well – okay… if you step on the scale tomorrow and are down 1/2 a pound is your goal accomplished?? Goals need to be completely objective and measurable. Instead of “I want to lose weight this year” make a goal of “I want to lose 15 pounds this year.” You’ll be surprised at what coming up with an exact number does to your motivation.

2. Set definitive dates – The second-most common mistake I see is that people never give themselves deadlines. I don’t know about you – but I tend to procrastinate. If you give me a project and say “get this back to me whenever” then it tends to get shoved to the back burner for a month or two. However if you tell me “I need this back in one week”… you better believe you’ll have it back in 7 days! Your resolutions should be the exact same. Take our example from above – lose 15 pounds this year. Let’s break that up into manageable chunks. “By January 31 I will lose one pound.” Now we have a completely objective and totally measurable goal with a deadline. We’d better get after it.

3. Break your long term goal down into measurable short-term goals – This one kind of goes right along with point #2 above. The goal – “Lose 15 pounds this year” can seem overwhelming. That’s a lot of weight, and right now next January is an entire year away! It will never be here! And then before you know it it’s next December and you’ve gained an additional 5 pounds over the year. Break your goal down into bite-sized (n pun intended) chunks. “I want to lose 15 pounds this year. To do this I want to lose 1-2 pounds every month.” All of the sudden the long-term goal is broken into measurable, objective, and manageable short-term goals.

4. Come up with a plan to achieve your short-term goals – “Losing weight”, “eating healthier”, and “getting in shape” are all great goals, but there’s one thing that they all miss. ACTION. They all explain the end result with absolutely no mention of how you’re going to get there. Your goals should include an action plan. “Exercise 30 minute 3 days this week,” “stop drinking soda,” and “no eating after 9 pm” are all excellent examples of specific steps that will help you get there.

5. Write it down – To have a goal in your mind is one thing – to write it down on a piece of paper and put is somewhere where you will see it everyday is quite another. There’s power in putting a goal down on paper. To complete our example – I would take out a piece of paper and write the following…
“By January 31 I will lose two pounds. To do this I will…
Perform 30 minutes of exercise 3 days/week.
Allow myself no more than 2 desserts a week.
Only eat fast food once this month.”

Trust me – if you’re serious about your fitness resolutions this year… and I mean really serious about them… then following these steps will help you to achieve your goals. Try them out! Turn your goals into your outcomes and your dreams into your realities and make 2016 your best year yet!

On a personal note – you guys completely rock!!! As I reflect on 2015 I am astounded at your kindness, your loyalty, and all that you have done to help me grow Tone and Tighten into what it is today. Thank you so much for all you’ve done and continue to do for this website, this company, and especially me. I’ve got some great things planned for this upcoming year… I hope you come along for the ride!

Questions or comments for Jared? I would love to hear from you! Leave me a comment below or email me at ToneAndTightenFitness@gmail.com.

Make it happen,

Jared