4 Ways to Restart Your Fitness Regime

Any time of year is a good time to recommit to fitness. Don’t wait until January 1 or your birthday to get back in shape. Remember, the rules of fitness don’t care what day of the week it is. While there may be a psychological advantage to starting a diet or workout regimen on Monday you’re more likely to stick to a fitness lifestyle if you use the following tips to help cement your new commitment.

1. Get a Workout Buddy

A partner can be just what you need to get you in the gym or on the trails when you’d rather sleep in or catch up on your favorite television shows. It’s always best to find a buddy who is in at least slightly better shape than you are at the present moment. This person may be able to provide tips and motivation that someone at your current fitness level simply won’t be able to provide.

2.Set New Goals

Forget goals of the past. This is a new beginning so act like it by setting new goals. No point in reminding yourself of what you failed to achieve in the past by revisiting failed goals. If you can’t part with your old goals then reframe them so the focus is different. For example, if an old failed goal was to lose 30lbs in three months your new goal can be to lose at least 2 pounds a week over the next three months. Setting smaller goals also makes the target seem more manageable.
Never set goals before? No problem. Now is a great time to start. Just keep in mind that goals must be measurable and have a deadline. Feel free to borrow a few examples:

• Complete a 5k in the next six months
  
• Lower my blood pressure by (fill in the blank) percentage points by (fill in the date).
  
• Fit comfortably into size (fill in the blank) jeans in two months.
  
• Be able to run for two miles without stopping by (fill in the blank date).

To stay motivated while you work at your new goals, you can use a Garmin Forerunner 305 or one of the many fitness gadgets available to provide real-time feedback like number of calories torched during your workouts.

3.Ask For Help

If you belong to a gym then ask for a free fitness assessment. A personal trainer should be able to provide you with tips on proper training to help you reach your goals without injury. You can also ask what she thinks about fitness watches or other training tools. Ask her what successful clients are using to stay on track.
If you don’t belong to a gym then use a free trial one week pass that are offered by most major fitness chains in the United States. During your trial period a fitness assessment is often available.

4.Pay Attention to Your Diet

If you used to work out like crazy and failed to see results then your diet may have been to blame. You simply cannot eat whatever you want whenever you want and expect great results no matter how much you workout. Focus on lean meats, low fat dairy, non-starchy vegetables, and no more than 2 pieces of whole fruit a day and you can trim down without counting calories.