Fitness Carter

Monday, December 30, 2013

Fitness Tips-Making your resolution stick - Wicked Local- Medfield


With 2013 coming to a close, another round of New Year’s resolutions are beginning to sprout in our minds. I don’t know the exact figures, but I am willing to bet that a good portion of us are focused on reducing our waistlines.


We all know how the cycle goes—we get the inspiration to accomplish a goal, we set the goal, and we start chipping away at it. Nine times out of 10 we get distracted and shift our attention away from our goals within the first month to repeat the cycle again 11 months later. Here are several ways to improve your odds of sticking to your guns this year.


It only takes 30 days


Most coaches agree that it takes three to four weeks to make a ritual into a habit. Rather than thinking about your goal as a year-long commitment, break it down into manageable length of time—such as a week—with a goal of eventually hitting the 30-day mark. Once you have been doing something for 30 days it becomes vastly more likely that you will stick with it long-term.


Tell, show, do


The single best way to accomplish a goal is to make sure that you take it from immaterial state to a material state. Put another way, an idea is less tangible than gas, but verbalizing your goal to a family member or friend is more real. One step higher is to write your goal down.


Posting your goal on Facebook, or in public on the refrigerator at work makes it vastly more probable that you will carry out and stick to your resolution. One step higher is to write your goal on a piece of paper five times daily. It may seem silly, but the first step in accomplishing a goal is knowing what you want, the second is writing it down, the third is carrying out what is necessary.


Never miss an appointment


If fitness is your goal, never miss the appointment. Chances are that only a very small number of you miss your teeth cleaning or doctor appointments. Many of my clients report with pride that if they have an appointment, they won’t miss it.


I encourage you to schedule your workouts with yourself as if they are standing appointments that you simply can’t reschedule or show up late for. I promise you that if you don’t miss or show up late for an appointment for an entire month you will be far less likely to do so moving forward.




With 2013 coming to a close, another round of New Year’s resolutions are beginning to sprout in our minds. I don’t know the exact figures, but I am willing to bet that a good portion of us are focused on reducing our waistlines.


We all know how the cycle goes—we get the inspiration to accomplish a goal, we set the goal, and we start chipping away at it. Nine times out of 10 we get distracted and shift our attention away from our goals within the first month to repeat the cycle again 11 months later. Here are several ways to improve your odds of sticking to your guns this year.


It only takes 30 days


Most coaches agree that it takes three to four weeks to make a ritual into a habit. Rather than thinking about your goal as a year-long commitment, break it down into manageable length of time—such as a week—with a goal of eventually hitting the 30-day mark. Once you have been doing something for 30 days it becomes vastly more likely that you will stick with it long-term.


Tell, show, do


The single best way to accomplish a goal is to make sure that you take it from immaterial state to a material state. Put another way, an idea is less tangible than gas, but verbalizing your goal to a family member or friend is more real. One step higher is to write your goal down.


Posting your goal on Facebook, or in public on the refrigerator at work makes it vastly more probable that you will carry out and stick to your resolution. One step higher is to write your goal on a piece of paper five times daily. It may seem silly, but the first step in accomplishing a goal is knowing what you want, the second is writing it down, the third is carrying out what is necessary.


Never miss an appointment


If fitness is your goal, never miss the appointment. Chances are that only a very small number of you miss your teeth cleaning or doctor appointments. Many of my clients report with pride that if they have an appointment, they won’t miss it.


I encourage you to schedule your workouts with yourself as if they are standing appointments that you simply can’t reschedule or show up late for. I promise you that if you don’t miss or show up late for an appointment for an entire month you will be far less likely to do so moving forward.


Personally, I schedule my exercise every other day, three workouts per week. After months of consistently making my appointments, I find myself compelled to make it to the gym each and every time without the potential self-talk that might talk me out of going.


It’s only an hour


With less and less free time at my disposal I find the idea of spending over an hour at the gym daunting. By limiting my workouts to 60 minutes I find that I can wrap my mind around the investment in time.


I give myself 30 minutes to spend strength training (lifting weights and using machines) and spend the second 30 minutes on my favorite pieces of cardio. All in all, the 60 minutes flies by. Don’t tell anybody, but sometimes I even stay longer than my allotted 60 minutes.


Keep it fun


My last piece of New Year’s resolution advice is to keep your workout fun. If you know your way around a weight room, do what you enjoy while you are there. Don’t get too wrapped up in following a program laid out in a magazine, but rather listen to your body and use the equipment that you enjoy using.


Always end a workout doing what you enjoy the most since people are hardwired to remember what we do first and last during a workout most. For people that are less comfortable working out on their own I suggest seeking out a workout program that does all the thinking for you, preferably in a group setting since it often makes the experience that much more enjoyable.


Happy New Years to everyone and best of luck to you all with your 2014 fitness resolutions.


Coach Chris McHugh is the fitness coach and manager at Get In Shape For Women in Westwood. Please send questions, suggestions, or topic ideas to ChrismcHugh@getinshapeforwomen.com.






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