This is just about the hardest time of the year to keep a workout going. You’re running around conducting errands in time for the holidays, eating meals that threaten to tear your diet plans asunder, and huddling inside because the temperature outdoors has plummeted.
But it’s because it’s so easy to lose sight of your workout regimen that makes doubling down on fitness so important. If you can weather the obstacles that make working out during December so difficult, you’ll set yourself up well for the year that lies ahead. With that in mind, we’d like to turn your attention to some of the tips found in a new report in Health Magazine. Exercising these tips can help you maintain your workout regimen through this month and beyond.
Don’t rely on a New Year’s resolution to get you back in the gym. Saying that you’re going to start out on such and such date is a recipe for derailing your workout before it begins. You’ll push yourself too hard from the outset and end up put off from the entire idea of a workout.
Do yourself a favor by not waiting until the end of the month to put fitness first. Carve out some time today or tomorrow to get a workout in. As cliche as it sounds, the first step is always the hardest.
There are ways to better get in the mindset that you’re going to work out. If you’re letting yourself get bogged down in the typical stresses of the holidays, start envisioning the workout as a reward as opposed to a penalty. A workout should be a break from that stress as opposed to just adding onto your burden. A workout should and will feel good.
You can also help yourself by not going it alone. Talk a friend or loved one into going with you on the workout. Not only can this give you the kick you need to get started, the sense of competition this can foster will allow you to do more than perhaps you thought you were capable of doing.
Of course, you also don’t want to go too far with the workout right from the outset. Nothing says your first trip to the gym has to be a six mile run. Take a brisk walk for a couple of miles or jog for a mile, supplementing that with some light weight work. Then, take a rest the next day. A day of rest after an intense workout can be just as beneficial as the workout itself. This will help you avoid injury from the start.