Every beginning of the year, tons of articles come out with tips on how to achieve and stick to your “get fit” New Year’s resolution goals, and every year the advice is the same: bring with you a workout buddy, find a workout that you enjoy and have fun with, reward yourself, be realistic…same tips every single time!!!!!! It is seriously really annoying to me that no one can come up with new tips!!!!!!!!!! So instead of being a hater, I decided to write about the things that keep me consistent and disciplined and going back to the gym all year long, not only because I like being original, but because I hope that they can really help some people out in 2016 🙂 Here we go:
- Workouts = Social Hour: One of the top tips that people write about on how to stay motivated with your fitness routine is the “Bring a friend” one. Without fail, tons of new year’s fitness posts talk about finding a workout buddy who has similar goals as yours, that way you
Hanging out with my 5am buddies! can hold each other accountable and have a partner who won’t allow you to get lazy…the problem with this is that your success will depend on somebody else’s level of motivation, schedule, goals etc. To me, a much better idea is to make new, fitness committed ready friends, at the gym! One of the main reasons I keep going back to Certus Crossfit and to swim with the Fresno Dolphins is because I get to socialize while getting a killer workout. I didn’t meet these people until I started working out at these places, however, I quickly developed tight relationships with them, because we had the workout thing in common. Plus it is amazing how people bond when they are struggling together and believe me; some of these workouts are THOUGH!!!!!!! So we all “suffer” together and encourage each other. Like most adults , crazy work and family schedules don’t leave much room to meet with friends for coffee or to go to the movies, so I get most of my friend fix at the gym killing two birds with one stone and making me look forward to go back a lot.
- Don’t be left to your own devices: I have been working out since I was 10 years old and 20+ years later I am still clueless about putting my own workouts together. I do much better
Working out with the Central Valley Spartan Athletes when I am told what to do. Left to my own devices I’ll step onto the elliptical machine for half an hour…do a couple of crunches….get bored out of my mind…get hungry, walk out of the gym and feel like a complete failure. Even if you figure out some sort of workout on your own, it will probably get boring after a while or might not push you as hard as you need to be pushed. I am not suggesting that you HAVE to hire an expensive personal trainer to achieve results (do it if you can afford it!!!), but there are many other, more affordable alternatives you can try. Some of my favorites include group classes (some of them are already included in your gym membership) like Zumba, Bootcamp and Yoga. I am also a big fan of digital workouts like Insanity and the Daily Burn, especially when I am on the road. In both cases all you have to do is show up and do as you are told to the best of your abilities. Locally, you can also join one of the many workout clubs (this will also cover you on the making friends at the gym category!!!!!) such as the Triathlon Club of Central California, The Central Valley Spartans and The Bad News Bears Runners. Their workouts and training sessions are always lead by somebody that has a clue and a plan.
- Become robotic – thinking messes you up! When I lived in San Diego, I had the
With Joe Decker “The World’s Fittest Man” opportunity to workout with “The Fittest Man in the World“, Joe Decker. He was not only amazing, uberly fit and inspirational, but he gave me the best workout advice of all times: “When you are faced with a rough workout you need to stop thinking and become robotic. Just do the task and keep going. THINKING MESSES YOU UP (he actually said it with an “f” word but this a P.G. blog)” Thinking does sooooooo mess you up, not only while you workout, but even before, when you are deciding whether you should head to the gym or not: “Oh, it’s too late….but I am hungry…. it is going to hurt….. I can’t do pull ups….. what are the fit people going to think about me …what if I suck???…. I’ll just go tomorrow…” JUST GET IN THE CAR AND DRIVE TO THE GYM AND DO NOT THINK!!!!!!
Hope these are helpful!!! I know it is hard to make time to workout, especially if you haven’t done it for a long time. Just remember that we all started from zero at some point and that it is not about killing yourself for two hours once in a while, but doing a little bit every day. Best of luck on your resolutions next year…Fresno has soooooooo many options to choose from. I look forward to telling you all about them in 2016!!!
She lives in Fresno with her husband and two Boston Terriers, Babushka and Bambino who like to run after soccer balls just like their dad.
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