AS A FITNESS INSTRUCTOR , I ' VE WITNESSED FIRST-HAND THE ENTHUSIASM THAT COMES WITH SETTING NEW YEAR ' S RESOLUTIONS , ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH AND FITNESS . YET , BY FEBRUARY A LOT OF PEOPLE ’ S NEW YEAR ' S RESOLUTIONS START FADING , AND BY THE TIME MARCH ROLLS AROUND , MANY OF US HAVE FALLEN INTO OLD HABITS AND OUR RESOLUTIONS ARE A DISTANT MEMORY .
ACCORDING TO ENTERPRISE APPS TODAY , ONLY 9 % OF PEOPLE ARE SUCCESSFUL IN KEEPING WITH THEIR NEW YEAR ’ S RESOLUTIONS . MOST PEOPLE QUIT NEW YEAR GOALS ON THE SECOND FRIDAY OF THE MONTH .
OVER THE YEARS , I ’ VE EXPERIENCED HURDLES AND HAVE SEEN MY CLIENTS AND FRIENDS GO THROUGH THE SAME SELF-INFLICTED LIMITATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO FITNESS , THAT HINDER US FROM NOT ONLY ACHIEVING OUR RESOLUTION GOALS BUT ALSO LEAVE US FEELING UNACCOMPLISHED . FROM TIME CONSTRAINTS TO LACK OF MOTIVATION , THESE OBSTACLES CAN SEEM IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERCOME , BUT THEY DON ' T HAVE TO BE .
HERE ARE MY 5 TIPS TO TURN EXCUSES INTO ACTIONS AND RECLAIM YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY .
1 . NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME : IT ' S A COMMON REFRAIN : " I DON ' T HAVE TIME TO EXERCISE , I WEAR MANY HATS ." BUT THE TRUTH IS , WE MAKE TIME FOR THE THINGS WE VALUE . IF EXERCISE IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE , YOU WILL FIND THE TIME FOR IT . WHENEVER I HEAR SOMEONE SAY THEY DON ' T HAVE ENOUGH TIME , I ALWAYS RECOMMEND CHALLENGING THAT NOTION . I RECOMMEND A “ REALITY CHECK ”, WHICH IS SIMPLY STARTING A DAY PLAN , WHERE YOU LIST ALL YOUR DAY ' S ACTIVITIES AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU SPEND ON EACH ACTIVITY - FROM THE TIME YOU WAKE UP TO WHEN YOU GO TO BED . WHEN YOU PUT PEN TO PAPER AND BREAK IT DOWN , IT ' S A BIG EYE OPENER TO WHERE WE ' RE SPENDING OUR TIME . WHEN YOU HAVE THIS INFORMATION IN FRONT OF YOU , YOU CAN FIND PLACES WHERE YOU CAN CARVE OUT TIME FOR ACTIVITIES THAT NOURISH YOUR SOUL , LIKE FITNESS . IT ' S ABOUT PRIORITISING AND RECOGNISING THAT INVESTING IN YOUR HEALTH IS WORTH THE TIME .
2 . BEING TOO TIRED : I ' VE HEARD THIS LINE MORE TIMES THAN I CAN RECALL . MANY PEOPLE FIND THAT FITNESS ENDS UP BEING THE LAST ITEM ON THE TO-DO LIST , MEANING THAT IT FREQUENTLY GETS BUMPED OFF THE LIST BECAUSE BY THE END OF THE DAY , WE ’ RE JUST TOO TIRED . SO , FINDING THE RIGHT TIME TO PRIORITISE EXERCISE IS CRUCIAL - WHETHER IT ' S WAKING UP 30 MINUTES EARLIER OR SQUEEZING IN A SHORT WORKOUT BETWEEN MEETINGS . IT ALSO DOESN ' T NEED TO BE AT A GYM , IT COULD BE A QUICK WORKOUT VIDEO ONLINE . MAKING FITNESS A NON-NEGOTIABLE PART OF YOUR DAY CAN LEAD TO IMPROVED ENERGY LEVELS AND OVERALL WELL-BEING .
3 . LACK OF MOTIVATION : SOMETIMES , THE HARDEST PART IS GETTING STARTED . AS HUMAN BEINGS , OUR INNATE NATURE IS TO BE SOCIAL BEINGS , WHICH IS WHY SOMETIMES EXERCISING BY YOURSELF CAN GET MONOTONOUS . THIS IS WHERE FINDING A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE - WHETHER IT ' S JOINING A RUNNING CLUB OR FINDING A WORKOUT BUDDY WHO WILL KEEP YOU ACCOUNTABLE .
ANOTHER TACTIC TO GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY IS THROUGH THE 5-SECOND RULE . AUTHOR MEL ROBBINS DESCRIBES THIS RULE AS ‘ THE MOMENT YOU HAVE AN INSTINCT TO ACT ON A GOAL YOU MUST 5-4-3-2-1 AND PHYSICALLY MOVE OR YOUR BRAIN WILL STOP YOU . THERE ' S ONE THING THAT