If your new year's resolution is to lose weight, get fit & be lean, we've 5 fail-proof, sure-fire tips to help you quickly & effortlessly achieve it.
Hands up those of you who've bought a yoga class package or a gym membership for the new year! I'm sure many of you have done so in order to keep to your New Year's resolutions of losing weight and getting fit.
If you haven't done so, don't worry! I know that it is difficult to get into a fitness routine, especially after the long festive period. So here're 5 tips proven to help you quickly get in to a fitness routine to get in shape, and stay in shape.
The first thing before you start working out is to know what you have to work on. Choose just one thing to focus on - Is it building stamina? Is it losing weight? Is it overall muscle toning and conditioning?
Having one area to focus on makes it easier to approach getting fit. Once you have identified what you'd like to work on, you can look at the specific functional exercises that help you do so.
For example, you'd like to build core strength. Once you know this, it's easier to decide what are the exercises you should do to achieve this, and the frequency with which you should do it.
The next step is to take a photo of yourself, print it and pin it on your mirror. I know this sounds narcissist, but this photo works 2 ways: (i) seeing it everyday reminds you of why you're working out, and (ii) the photo serves as a reference point of progress as you keep to your fitness workouts. For the purpose of comparison, take a photo of yourself each week on the same day.
Third, there's no better time to start on your journey to fitness than today. As the saying goes, 'Do not put off to tomorrow what you can do today'. Decide to start today on what you have to work on, so that in 1 month's time, you'll have a very different photo from the one you took of yourself at the start.
The fourth step is to take small steps. For example, don't attempt Three Legged Downward Dog if you've yet to feel stable when in Downward Dog. Or don't run 5km when you haven't jogged for 1km yet. Any form of exercise or movement is great, and definitely better than not moving at all. So ease yourself in to fitness exercises by starting with 15-minute sessions twice a week. You can then increase the workout duration and intensity every 3 to 4 weeks.
The final proven tip for getting back in shape is commitment. You've already set your fitness goals, taken your 'before' selfie, and started taking small steps. Now it's to stay committed to the journey. One way that I stick to it is remind myself of why I started doing this, which is to have more energy to do all the things I have planned.
You can also stay committed by getting an accountability buddy. This person can either workout together with you, or check in with you regularly on your fitness progress.
Decide to start today on what you have to work on, so that in 1 month's time, you'll have a very different photo from the one you took of yourself at the start.
GO GET FIT
These 5 tips are the proven formula that many fitspo and fitness personalities swear by. Once you have these 5 tips sorted, the actual work of losing weight and getting fit becomes more manageable and attainable. Now, go bust the flab and get fit!
This story was originally published by our friends at SOULSCAPE.
