No one can argue that sticking to New Year’s resolutions is hard, especially now with all gyms closed. But the difficult situation we are in at the moment is exactly the reason why staying healthy is so so imoportant. And with the right approach and positive attitude there’s nothing impossible. So here’s a list of tips that will help you find motivation to stick to your 2021 New Year’s resolutions.

PANDEMIC CHALLENGE Anytime you hear anything about coronavirus, pandemic or lockdown do something to improve your health. That can be drinking a glass of water, doing 10 squats or finding and wiritng down an inspirational quote. Be creative!

How to Stay Motivated? – 10 Tips


1. Set Achievable Goals

Setting your goals is one of the most effective ways to motivate yourself. It gives you something to work towards, measure and accomplish. It’s also important that your goals are achievable in the first place so don’t go for things like “Get abs in 5 days” because that would undeniably end up with disappointment. Instead, make sure to celebrate small victories such as loosing 1lbs, being able to lift few more kilograms or doing your 5k run in few less seconds.

If your goal is to loose weight remember not to do so too rapidly. Studies show that people who loose weight too fast, end up putting it back on again. NHS recommends to lose weight at a safe rate of 0.5kg to 1kg (1lb to 2lb) per week.

new year's resolutions

2. Find Activities You Enjoy

That one is pretty self-explanatory but you will much more likely stick to your workout plan if you choose to do something you enjoy. So if the thought of running makes you suffer, it’s better to choose another activity. Try various sports and see which one brings you them most joy.

There is so many things you can do to stay active that there must be something out there for you. Try yoga, weightlifting, running, cycling, HIIT workouts or even walks through the park.

working out

3. Write it Down

Another way to motivate yourself to stick to your resolutions is to write a fitness diary. You can write down your goals, meal plans or schedule your routine. It’s also a great place to gather your daily thoughts concerning your new healthy habits – like how you feel after your workout or things you found challenging in that specific day.

You can also write down motivational quotes and inspirational affirmations. Healthy routine is not only about working out, your mental health plays a huge role as well. So in order to stay healthy, make sure to nourish not only your body, but also your mind.

workout journal, new year's resolutions

4. Food Preparation

A very effective tip for staying motivated during your fitness journey is planning and preparing as much as you can in advance. You can plan your meals at the beginning of the week and buy all ingredients needed beforehand. You could even make few lunch boxes for the week at once and store them in the fridge, ready for whenever you need them.

It’s also useful to always have some healthy snacks at hand such as fruits, nuts or vegetable sticks with hummus. This way whenever you feel hungry you’ll be able to make better choices.

If you’re usually too busy in the morning to prepare a healthy and nutritious breakfast try making a homemade granola for the whole week. Alternatively, you can also make breakfast smoothies and put a portion of fruits in a bag and freeze it. In the morning you will only need to put the frozen fruits in the blender, add some water or milk and your supplements (such as protein powder or collagen).

meal prep, lunch boxes, new year's resolutions

5. Find a Workout Friend

There’s no better motivation than having somebody who will hold us accountable for our action. Normally, you could find a gym buddy who would motivate you to get up and go to the gym when you’re not feeling like it yourself. However, now with all the gym closed we have adjust the meaning of a gym buddy. So why not find a friend, family member or a partner who you could talk to about your experience, workout plans and encountered challenges.

Workout friend may just be the person who will make sticking to your New Year’s resolutions this much easier. And remember, in this time of the year it’s really not hard to find someone like you who’s motivated to get in shape.

support, training together, workout buddy

6. Stick to Your Routine

Healthy life style may seem very time consuming. All the planning, journaling, talking to other people, reading blogs and advice and all the cooking! But the truth is – you very quickly get into the set rhythm. This is of course only if you set a rhythm in the first place. And that’s what this tip is about. Plan a routine. You really can’t just “go with it”. Our bodies love routine, activities that we perform repeatedly, always at the same time of the day. After some time we get used to those routines and we can go about them without thinking twice.

A great start would be to set a fixed time for your workouts. One that will work for you. You can also schedule a morning routine. A step by step self-guide on how you’d like to start your day. It make take a while to get used to it, but once you do, the benefits are immeasurable.

routine, calendar, new year's resolutions

7. Try Workout Apps

If you’re a beginner planning your own workout sessions may seem overwhelming. The variety of exercises and sports is really wide and you may get lost jumping from one exercise to another without a concise plan in place. If that’s the case for you, you may benefit from trying workout apps. Depending on your preferences and goals you can try yoga, strength workout, HIIT, body weight at-home workouts. There’s something for everyone out there.

That’s also an effective tip for workouts with cardio machines such as bikes, treadmills, ellipticals or rowing machines. A good example would be Kinomap – an app designed to offer you scheduled interactive workouts that will keep your training sessions fun and store your workout data for more motivation.

kinomap app

8. Get Equipment

If you’re anything like me, there’s nothing quite as motivating as gym equipment. The unlimited possibilities offered by various pieces of equipment makes you feel like there’s nothing you can’t do. And again, with gyms closed this one is now a bit less straight forward. But commercial gyms are not the only place where you can benefit from the workout equipment.

Nowadays, we also have countless possibilities when it comes to home gyms. Regardless of your space or your budget, you can find something for yourself. Whether it’s a full power rack with a bench and a barbell set or just resistance bands, pull-up bar or an ab roller, it will give you a boost of motivation to keep your New Year’s resolutions.

BodyMax Selectabells, New year's resolutions

9. Listen to audiobooks

If long runs or cycling sessions is your thing then you’ll be happy to know you can get even more benefits out of your workout time. A great way to utilise your training session to the fullest is to listen to audiobooks. You can download your favourite books, guides, journals with motivational fitness stories or listen to a health podcast.

There’s a wide variety of resources out there so make sure to find one that suits you. You can also learn new skills by watching tutorials and “how to” videos.

Audiobooks, New year's resolutions

10. Hydrate

The last tip that will help you keep your New Year’s Resolutions may be one of the most important ones – proper hydration. You really can’t advertise it too much. So many advantages in such simple and often overlooked activity. Good hydration will boost your blood flow and help your body cleanse from toxins. It’s important for the proper function of your muscles and joints. And especially now that you’ll be working out more and loosing a lot of water and minerals with sweat it’s crucial to replenish water in your body. After all, we’re 70% water.

Most times when we start feeling hungry we’re actually just thirsty as our body can’t tell the difference between hunger and thirst. So staying hydrated will also help you limit snacking.

Hydration New year's resolutions

Summary

Keeping your New Year’s resolutions definitely isn’t the easiest task, but with a right approach, it is a possible one. There are many ways to find inspiration and motivate yourself to improve and achieve your goals. I hope this article was helpful and gave you few ideas on how you can stay motivated during this difficult time.

For more fitness advice check out How to Stay Fit in the Lockdown.

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