8 Ways to Make Your New Year’s Fitness Resolutions Stick

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Some of us are good at sticking to New Year’s resolutions – and some of us are only good at making them. If you’ve made a resolution to get fit this year and don’t want to break it – the following article is for you!

1) Think short term (to help you begin):
To keep your resolution – the first thing you’ll need is the motivation to begin in the first place! We all know there are long term benefits to exercise, but these may not be enough to get you started – so here’s a list of benefits you’ll see within a month of consistent exercise:

2) Increased energy levels:
As your body adjusts to a more active lifestyle, you’ll experience a noticeable boost in energy throughout the day. This will increase your overall performance in every task you do, no matter your occupation.

3) Better sleep:
Exercise improves sleep by getting you to sleep quicker, as well as improving the quality of your sleep. Good sleep is known to help with a person’s overall health and well being.

4) Mood enhancement:
Physical activity is associated with mood improvements, and can have you feeling better within minutes of starting your routine. Your brain is flooded with serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine – basically bodily chemicals that make you feel good. In fact, research shows that it can even help alleviate long-term depression!

5) Flexibility:
Within a week of following your routine, you’ll feel more flexible, limber, and agile.

6) It improves your sex life:
Exercise helps your body in many ways, and most people who work out, swim, or even walk, report better sex lives.

7) It boosts your immune system:
It raises your level of immunoglobulins (antibodies) the immune system uses to identify and neutralize bacteria, viruses, and other foreign objects. This boost lasts a whole day after every exercise session. So while it’s great to eat apples, exercise will literally keep the doctor away!

8) Tips to keep your resolution:
Now that you’re ready to start and know what results you WILL see quickly, here’s some advice that you should follow so you don’t quit:

• Make sure exercising does not seem like a chore or even a duty. Pick activities that you genuinely enjoy, ones that you’ll look forward to. There are many fun physical activities you can take part in, everything from sports to dancing! The point is to remain active and bring physical activity into your lifestyle.

• If you do opt to hit the gym, remember to maintain perspective. It’s difficult to see abstract exercises (like lifting weights) as beneficial to your entire well being. So concentrate on consistency, and be aware that every single lift/pull/set is a step towards your fitness goals.

• Your body is the most powerful instrument you will ever own. It is the vehicle of your mind – and much like any other vehicle it WILL cease up and malfunction without proper maintenance. You owe it to yourself to have a body that will help you reach your life goals.

• Don’t feel disheartened when you look at others who have high levels of fitness. They all started somewhere, so let their success inspire you.

• Do not let laziness get the better of you. Every time you skip gym you waste the effort of the previous session. Consistency is key!

• Remember to find a routine that will help you achieve your specific fitness goals. Cardio helps you burn fat, and improves heart and lung function. Exercise that involve weights strengthen bones, muscles, joints, and connective tissues.

• Find friends who already have well established fitness routines and seek their guidance. They will encourage you and will make sure you avoid making mistakes like lifting weights with bad form and not adjusting your diet. They will prove invaluable in your pursuit of fitness.

In finality, follow these points and you will see results. Do read my previous articles to know more about the long term benefits of exercise and why it is imperative to maintain a physically active lifestyle.

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