New Year’s Actions – Tips and tricks to stick to your exercise goals

2017 is all about setting some powerful and intentional goals! 

Whether it’s to exercise more, eat healthier, stress less, cut back on alcohol, lose weight, quit smoking, manage money better, get more sleep, learn a new skill, or go green (phew!), these hints, tips, and steps below will help, guide, and support your efforts. Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year!

If you’re goal is to ‘drum roll please’…exercise more…

It is so important to remember that working out isn’t just for getting buff. Exercising results in both physical and mental benefits, from reducing stress and anxiety, to improving self-confidence, enhancing cognitive function, and so much more. More good news? Adding regular exercise to your day isn’t tough. Just use the tips below and start moving!

1. Fit it in any and everywhere.  We’d love to see you at NRG 4 Life, however, if you can’t make it in, there’s tons of great apps and workouts available online.  Squeeze in 20 min’s split into 2 x 10 min segments even.  All movement matters.  Get your 10 000 steps in per day.  Rather than just write off the day, put yourself through the paces with a modified workout at home or at work.
2. Keep your workouts fresh.  Stave off the dreaded workout rut by trying something new or unexpected, working with a personal trainer, or rocking a new playlist.  Book a complimentary consult to meet with one of our trainers today!   You’ll pick up some great ideas to stay motivated.  We also offer complimentary Equipment Orientations on our schedule.  https://nrg4lifefitness.net/class-calendar/ 
3. Get motivated.  Stay on track by reminding yourself of the benefits of exercising, seeking fit-spiration (it’s literally at your fingertips), or becoming an “intrinsic motivator”—someone whose drive to succeed comes from within, rather than from external factors.
4. Work out first thing in the morning.  The upsides to working out in the a.m. might just inspire night owls to become morning people! Exercising before breakfast has been linked to effective fat loss.  And getting your workout done first thing ensures it’s completed before the day gets away from you. There’s a reason we’ve been running our NRG 4 Life Bootcamp for 12 years!
5. Work out while you work.  Seated doesn’t have to mean sedentary. Any time you’re stuck in the cubicle or hunched over a keyboard, take a break for deskercise. Even if they don’t prep you for an upcoming Ironman, those breaks will get the blood flowing and burn a few calories.  Get a fit tracker.  There’s a price point for everyone now.  Set a reminder to move every 20 min’s.  It works and keeps us more limber and our brain fresh so we’re more focused too.
6. Make time fly.  There are lots of great ways to make workouts more exciting—like having the right tunes, working out in a group, or exercising with that special someone. And as we know, time flies when you’re having fun.
7. Make it quick.  Interval workouts—think tabatas and other high intensity interval training (HIIT)—can be done in as little as four minutes and provide an array of benefits, including building cardio endurance and burning fat.
8. Sneak it in.  Working out without working out? NEAT! Non-exercise activity thermogenesis is everyday activity that burns calories such as running errands, cleaning the house, chopping veggies, traveling by foot or bicycle. Days that you can’t make it to the gym are the perfect opportunity to up the ante NEAT-wise, whether that means taking the stairs, going on a mopping-and-vacuuming spree, or washing the car.
9. Make a plan.  Having a results-oriented game plan is a key to success when it comes to working out.  Whether you work towards that 5K (ie. how about signing up for the Uxbridge Half Marathon http://uxbridgehalfmarathon.ca/, download a checklist to keep you organized, or set reminders to strength train three times times per week, arrange your weekly workouts in advance. Plus, research shows that imagining yourself achieving fitness goals can enhance athletic performance.  Make a routine of rehearsing making healthy choices by visualizing the result of all your hard work.
10. 10. Keep track online. Logging your workouts allows you to keep track of what you’ve done—whether it’s miles run, reps lifted, or poses practiced. Plus, by paying attention to what kind of workouts you’re doing, you’ll know when to start changing things up, thereby avoiding the dreaded fitness plateau!

Be hopeful in this New year ahead, we hope to see you working towards those goals the best you can!