A new year always comes with its characteristic motivation. It’s the beginning of 2022, and you want to become the best version of yourself in mind, body, and spirit. If you’re one of the many who start the year with motivation but get discouraged throughout the year, we’ve come up with ideas to help you keep your New Year’s resolutions and reach your health goals.
Set Achievable Goals
If you struggle with staying motivated, setting goals that are too out of reach can easily discourage you and diminish any progress you’ve made. It’s important to be realistic about what you can achieve. Start small, set three achievable goals for the month. Maybe your goals for January are to drink more water, daily walks, and incorporate one vegetable into every meal. Once you feel comfortable with these new habits, you can set three more goals for yourself. This is a great way to slowly create habits and at the same time get one step closer to your fitness goals.
Movement is Movement
Every step counts, and every movement you add to your routine adds value to your progress. Even if your goal is to park farther from the entrance at the grocery store — small steps equal big results over time!
Eat the Rainbow
A simple way to stay on track with your health goals and add nutritional value to your meal plan is to “eat the rainbow.” Depending on the color of the fruit or vegetable, is the nutrients they offer. Eating a diversity of colorful foods can be an easy way to get a complete range of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive.
Be Mindful
No journey will ever be linear. Your health goal might be healing, losing weight, gaining muscle or eating healthier. Whatever your goal is, you might occasionally fail or slip up, but that is no reason to throw away all the progress you’ve made. What’s important is how you get back to where you need to be.
When you feel like you're getting off track, take time to meditate, sleep well and be mindful. Revisit your goals and take one day at a time.
Find a Workout Buddy
You don’t have to go through this journey alone! Working out with a partner can help you feel more motivated, adventurous and consistent. Look for someone with the same goals and commitment you have. Even better if this person makes you feel positive and inspired.
Find the perfect workout buddy, and working out will never be boring!
Try Something New
Maybe you had trouble reaching your goals in previous years because the workouts or fitness practices you had tried in the past are not the best for you. It is the perfect moment to try something new. At the Y, we offer many options for members to find what fits their needs, like group exercise classes, personal training, water fitness at-home or virtual classes through YMCA360, and much more! We are sure you will find the perfect program to reach your goals.
A great example of this advice is Lora, one of our Y's valued personal training clients. Lora is on a weight loss journey to become her fittest self and lose enough weight for knee replacement surgery. In the last three months of adopting a regular workout routine with a personal trainer, Lora has lost 21.5 pounds. Her sugar levels went from 325 to 152 and her blood pressure was normalized.
Lora walked with a cane when she started training, now she is cane-free! We love personal training because it is customized for you and adds value and quality to your life to become the best version of yourself! After Lora found what works best for her, she feels stronger and more energetic.
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Focus on Gratitude
One of the enemies of serious efforts to make changes in our bodies or lifestyle is a feeling of discouragement. That is why when this feeling comes it is better to focus on gratitude. When you are grateful, you feel more confident and powerful.
There are some simple ways you can incorporate gratitude into your health journey, especially when we are further into the year and the new year’s motivation has faded. One of those ways is writing in a gratitude journal. Every day write three things you are grateful about your body. Or perhaps have a gratitude session and meditate about what you are grateful for in your life. Whatever you choose, it is important to remain consistent, and it will pay off eventually.
Don’t let another year go by where goals aren’t set and worked toward. Follow these steps, and working your way into a healthier lifestyle will be easier than you think!
Published: January 11, 2022