January is the time of year everyone’s making New Year Resolutions, full of hope and determination that this will be the year everything changes for the better. Unfortunately, many resolutions fall by the wayside as normal life takes over, but it doesn’t have to be like that.
One way of making your resolutions stick is to be more specific about what you wish to achieve, and how you can do so. For instance, two of the most frequently made resolutions concern diet and exercise, as people promise to lose weight and get fitter; but they often fail because those goals aren’t precise and don’t offer anything in the way of inspiration when the going gets tough.
Fitter
Instead of saying “I resolve to get fit this year,” try looking at this resolution from a different perspective. If the thought of making yourself go to the gym three times a week or pounding the streets on a daily run doesn’t fill you with joy, think about what activities you could do that you would look forward to instead. For example, you might not enjoy running, but what about going on nature walks, or taking up geocaching? You’ll get the fun of pursuing an interest, and all the exercise happens without you being so aware of it.
Alternatively, is there a sport you’ve always wanted to try, or that you used to play and haven’t done recently? Exercise tends to be thought of as something that has to be vigorous and make you sweaty and out of breath. While aerobic exercise is good, any form of exercise is better than none, so if you prefer a more gentle pursuit, you’ll still be doing yourself a lot of good.
For instance, walking around an 18-hole golf course can take three to five hours and involve a good five or six miles walking altogether, plus stretching and balancing. Golfing exercise is something that happens as a by-product of playing the game, so you won’t be focusing on it, but you’ll still be benefiting from the workout. If you fancy giving it a go, you can find out more about the range of driving irons, woods, and other equipment available online.
Slimmer
The array of diets and slimming aids on offer is truly staggering, and it’s difficult to know which will suit you best. Unless you have some kind of metabolic issue that affects the way your body burns calories, the simple calculation is calories consumed needs to be equivalent to calories burnt to maintain your ideal weight. So you need to consume fewer calories and increase the number of calories you’re using for optimal weight loss.
Many people find it easier to lose weight with support from other people, so joining a slimming club could be the answer. Fad diets and extreme solutions aren’t likely to offer a way to maintain weight loss; by far the best way of achieving good health is to embrace a new way of eating, controlling portion sizes and opting for healthy alternatives in a way that you can sustain long-term.
If you want to make this the year you achieve your fitness and weight-loss goals, try a new approach and give yourself a better chance of success.