You’ve heard of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, but how about the “The Twelve Days of Fitness”?
There are certain steps you need to take in order to stick to and be successful with a New Year’s Resolution Plan, so I encourage you to start thinking about it now, so you’re not floundering come New Year’s Day. If you do one of these things each day leading up to the New Year – You’ll be ready to jumpstart your new plan when the ball drops come January 1st.
First, you need to establish your goal and write it down. In my case, I needed to lose close to 200 lbs., so I needed to be realistic on how long it would take me to get there. Which leads me to what you need to do on the second day and that is to establish how long it will take you to get there. You will also want to establish short-term goals to keep you motivated.
I don’t know about you, but rewards motivate me! So on the third day, you want to figure out what your rewards will be for each milestone. My suggestion is that your reward be non-food related to keep you on track.
Next on the fourth day you want to figure out where you will exercise, will it be at home, at a gym, in a park, etc. On the fifth day you want to buy the proper footwear and gear you will need for your specific activity. This will also help you get motivated to start. On the sixth day, start establishing who will be your fitness professional such as a trainer or nutritionist to guide you. On the seventh day establish a support system of friends and family and let them know about your goal. You’ll quickly know by the eighth day who doesn’t support you or will sabotage your goal. Don’t let them do it, but still be polite and kind to them. They just don’t get it yet!
On the ninth day remove all foods from your house that will sabotage you and make a shopping list of the foods you will need. On the tenth day, be prepared to keep a food diary and plan your meals the night before. You also want to buy a separate notebook to track your workouts, weight and measurements and take all of these. On the 11th Day, find a workout buddy, fitness coach or trainer that will hold you accountable. Finally, on the 12th day take out that shopping list and hit the food store for all those healthy, nourishing foods to jumpstart your success!
Joanne Sgro is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is Certified in Pilates, Pre-natal/Post-Partum, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training. Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.fitnessanswer.com. She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her fiancé, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.