Old habits die hard, so they say — and don’t we know it. If you’ve ever tried to keep a New Year’s resolution and failed, you’re certainly not alone. We all know plenty of people whose goals evanesce into nothingness after the first few months of the year, and according to YouGov, six in ten failed to keep all their New Year’s resolutions. Keep reading below for some top tips on how to keep yours!
1. Before you head off to work, do a quick workout at home. That way, you won’t need to shower at the gym or take spare clothes to the office, keeping hassle to a minimum. An aerobics step and kettle bell will help you tone your glutes for an Instagram-worthy bubble bum, while a Skipping Rope will help you step up your skipping for super-toned arms.
2. Tell people what your resolution is to make it harder for you to quit. Better still — get a gym buddy so you can motivate each other.
3. Make your workouts easy and fun – try a trampoline – all you need to do is bounce around. Squeeze in ten to fifteen minutes while you’re watching TV or waiting for your dinner to cook!
4. Gym memberships can’t be seen so it’s often a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Make sure you keep your home gym equipment in sight — in your bedroom for example — to remind you to do a quick workout.
5. Focus on your goal and set yourself small objectives every day. An Activity Watch will give you a full health and fitness overview, tracking your steps, distance and calories and even monitoring your sleep.
6. Give yourself a small reward every time you achieve a daily goal to help keep you motivated.
7. Have a workout plan for those days when you’re really lacking energy. If you can’t face a full workout, try some gentle yoga instead to improve your flexibility. And if all you want to do is watch TV, use a pedal exerciser while you’re sat on the sofa. It might not match a run in the park but it’ll still get the calories burning!
8. Cycle to places instead of getting the bus or using the car. Online there’s a great selection of men’s bikes and women’s bikes as well as handy bike accessories. There’s also have kids’ bikes so you can get all the family involved.
9. Don’t get disheartened if you put on a pound or two as weight isn’t always a good measure of health. Keep an eye on your BMI, body water and body fat with a digital bathroom scale.
10. If you often forget to drink your recommend eight glasses of water a day, give yourself reminders. Get a water bottle that has markings that tell you how much water you’ve drunk so far, so you can be sure you’re well hydrated.
