(FYI: This is one is over 400 words, but for good reason…my apologies)
Do you know what is the worst time of the year for me?
The worst time of the year is January. January is the month when the gym “population” quadruples and I am forced to make my visits and use the equipment in the wee hours of the morning to get a half decent workout in. Sure, the “population” teeters off as the months in the year go by, but that one month is extremely frustrating. To solve this problem, I see only 2 solutions:
- Deal with it for a month and move on.
- Help YOU keep up with your fitness resolutions throughout the year so gym’s see the opportunity to open more gym’s to keep up with the demand.
I think I will support the latter here.
Here are 10 Ways to Approach Your Fitness Resolutions in 2010…
- Get up an hour earlier and hit the gym. You usually can count the number of people at the gym at 5:30 AM on 2 hands or less. Knock your workout out before the sun rises and that is one less thing you have to worry about doing all day.
- Join a gym near you. Don’t join a gym more than 5 miles from your home. I would go further for a gym, but I know most people wouldn’t on a regular basis.
- Don’t allow any eating out except one meal a week. How hard is this? Not really when you think about it. Just DON’T do it. Sure, getting up and running is easy to get out of. But not allowing yourself to eat out is EXTREMELY SIMPLE. The Anti-Nike Slogan comes in handy: Just don’t do it.
- Get a workout buddy. Meet people online, at the gym, at work that want to meet some new fitness goal and start pushing each other. When one of you doesn’t want to workout, the other should “force” them to.
- Watch the Biggest Loser. I usually don’t condone watching television (let alone NBC’s drawn out 2 hour version of such), but it will motivate you. New season starts Tuesday January 5th, 2010.
- Start blogging about your fitness accomplishments. Start a blog at WordPress and write a short daily update to get others noticing your large strides towards a healthy lifestyle.
- Make small goals. Try losing a pound in the next 2 days. Then 3 pounds in a week. Then on…and on…and on…
- Sign up for a physical competition. Maybe a 5k, a marathon or a triathlon. This will help you see a goal on your path.
- Write a list of WHY you are doing this. Write a 10 point list as to why you are trying to get fit again. Then copy it and post on your bathroom mirror, on your dashboard, on your computer screen at work, and pretty much everywhere else.
- Make a DAILY resolution. Every morning you wake up make a new resolution. For example, “Today I will run 3 miles without stopping,” or “Today I will not eat more than 2,000 calories.”
I hope these help you all stay focused on such an important resolution.
David Damron
The Minimalist Path
Click here to get a copy of PROJECT M-31: Simply Your Life in 31 Days
