New Year, New You...How to Survive This Month

Everyone has made or is making their new year’s resolutions. Most started yesterday right?  Let’s be honest, because of the long weekend for many people, very few people actually started on January 1st with their resolutions – we all waited until Monday, January 5th.

If you started yesterday, chances are many of you have already slipped up! I know I have. I said I wasn’t going to drink until my birthday (two weeks away), but I had an open bottle of wine that I just couldn’t waste, so I finished it last night and “restarted” today.  So I’m just as guilty as everyone else.

Now if YESTERDAY, a Monday, was the day you decided to go to the gym, chances are it was crazy packed; too many people all walking around aimlessly not knowing where to start on day 1 of their new year’s resolutions. Here’s the good news: over 50% of the people who start in January will be out of the gym by the end of the month so don’t get discouraged by the overcrowded gyms! They will start to empty out. Here’s the key: don’t be part of the crowd that quits before the end of the month!!

Here’s how to get through the month:

-Don’t go to the gym on Mondays! I know, seems weird coming from a trainer telling you NOT to go to the gym on a Monday. But Monday is the busiest day of any gym because everyone wants to “start over” after falling off the wagon over the weekend. It’s busy; you’ll get frustrated and end up cutting your workout short because you just want to get out of there.

-The mornings at the gym are typically less busy. Not a morning person? Well, try!  New Year, New You, right? Going to the gym in the AM has many more benefits than going at night when you get frustrated or not at all. Give it a try. It takes up to seven repetitions of an act to create a new habit. So try it for a week! Get up an hour earlier than normal, hit the gym or do an at home workout before work, and you’ll be amazed at the energy you have throughout the day!

-If your gym has classes, try them all out! Even if some gyms charge for their classes, tell them you want to try it out one-two times before paying for a special class. They will (or should) let you! See what classes you like best and try to make it a point to hit that same class and instructor each week. And don’t stand in the back! Stand right up front so the instructor can see you; ask questions about form and make sure you do the exercises properly.

-Pick days and times that are least busy at the gym: early mornings, lunchtime (if you can break away and there is a shower at your gym), Saturday afternoons/evenings and Sunday mornings.  You do NOT have to only workout on the weekdays! My best, most productive workouts are on Sunday mornings.

-Gyms still too intimidating? Then contact me for a customized at-home workout plan!  I will write you a plan to do at home with your current equipment (or none at all) so you can keep on track with whatever your new year’s resolution goals are!  Doesn’t matter where you are – Skype sessions are a great way to get together, catch up and still get a good workout in even if we are not together in person.

Bottom line is be smart about your gym attendance – especially for the next month. If the gym LOOKS too crowded and you can’t get on equipment you want, then see where you can tweak your schedule a bit so you can find a less crowded time to go! Just stick with it through this month and I guarantee all those who WON’T stick to their weight loss and fitness goals for 2015 will quit, but NOT YOU, right?!

Happy 2015!