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3 tips for hitting the gym in January
The holidays are over, and so are your excuses. Time to hit the gym and shed those extra pounds. For many, it is the one time of year that fitness becomes a true priority. Here are my three tips for hitting the gym this January.
1. Make realistic goals – If your goal is to go to the gym every day this week, you might find it frustrating if you don’t reach that goal. Instead, make a goal of going three or four times a week. Make your goals achievable, but make sure they also push you. If your goals are realistic and you don’t cheat yourself by believing you have to wait for motivation, you will succeed in hitting your weekly gym quota.
2. Commit to your workout – Simply going to the gym is not enough. You have to commit to a real workout once you are there! No one has ever lost weight or added muscle simply by walking through those doors. It’s the work you do while you are at the gym that makes the difference.
You have to push yourself. Don’t leave without sweating! Crank up the speed on the treadmill, do some circuit training exercises, or hire a personal trainer to get you going. Do exercises you hate and your body will be rewarded.
3. Avoid the rush – This is a frustrating time of year for many gym-goers because everyone wants to get back in shape for a healthy start to the year. That means your local gym is potentially over-crowded and packed. It can be frustrating and annoying when you can’t get the equipment you want or feel rushed because someone is lurking over your shoulders.
Many gyms have an after work rush from about 5-8 pm. Try to avoid that. Things usually slow down mid to late evening. Try working out at night or in the morning. Weekend workouts at the gym are great because everyone’s schedule is not the same.
If you can’t avoid the rush, don’t let the packed gym discourage you. If you stick it through to February, you’ll see a lot of the “resolutioners” have been weeded out. Don’t be one of them.
I’d love to hear any tips you have for hitting the gym this time of year. What are your secrets to New Year’s success?
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Another tip, at least one I learned in PE class back in college is have some sort of “incentive” for yourself ( alibeit a reasonable one.) to keep motivated and keep up with your goals ( aside from getting physically fit.)
ie-to get msyelf motivate to keep up with my goals in college, my incetive was that If I kept up with all my excericises on a regular basis and ate healthier, in January I would buy a new lightsaber. Now, I don’t need the incetive as much as I’ve gotten into good habits, but for those just starting out, it can’t hurt.