With the holidays behind us, our focus quickly turns to the new year and resolutions to become healthier and shed a few pounds. Too often, however, our first steps are to adopt the same, failed fitness goals from the previous year.
What can individuals do to break out and become healthier in 2024?
Here are my four easy rules to set you up for success.
1. Establish a consistent workout routine, and stick to it.
Establishing a consistent routine is the first step to staying on track and realizing success in the weeks ahead. Having such a plan is essential to avoiding setbacks and teaches you how to work around them in the future. All it takes is 30 days to ingrain the routine into your schedule. Very quickly, your body and mind will let you know when you’ve missed a workout and you’ll be itching to get back to it.
2. Don’t give up your favorite foods and “go cold turkey.” Everything in moderation.
Giving up your favorite snacks and meals sets you up for failure and prevents you from establishing a healthy relationship towards food and exercise. In 2024, focus on doing the absolute best you can do Monday through Friday while you’re on autopilot for the week. When the weekend rolls around, enjoy small treats in moderation. Don’t berate yourself over a snack or failure to exercise. It’s how you respond and learn from those slip-ups that teaches you how to stay focused on your fitness goals while still being able to enjoy the little things in life.
3. Don’t overthink it. Discover what works for you and get moving.
A workout doesn’t have to mean lifting heavy weights, going for a 10-mile run, or spending hours working out to burn off that extra roll you had at dinner. A healthy workout is one that will get you moving at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes five days a week. If you enjoy swimming, yoga or simply walking — get up, get active, and get moving. Don’t overthink it; just do it. Once you do, you’ll feel the benefits immediately.
4. Small steps make a big difference.
Think about your body as if it were a car. If you routinely take care of the “little things” (like fluid changes and tire rotations), your chances of confronting problems are minimized. The same goes for your body. Drinking water, eating vegetables and taking five minutes a day to stretch are examples of small steps you can take that over time will make a big difference. You might casually dismiss them for another day. Cumulatively, over time, however, these small steps will make the biggest difference in how you move, feel, and how your body holds up to the daily demands of your life.
Kory Billings is a concierge fitness trainer with KB Fit Training in Myersville and an in-home personal trainer in the Frederick area. He specializes in working with busy professionals, retirees and clients with medical conditions. He can be reached by email at Kory@kbfittraining.com or call/text 301-814 5257.
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