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While many people don’t care to think about next year until it’s upon them, now is actually the time to begin planning what you hope to accomplish in 2005. Hopefully, you feel that your health is an important enough part of your life to dedicate some thought to it and how you can go about improving it. Or if you already live very healthy now, how you can maintain it. If you make your plans beforehand concerning your health in the coming year, you can guarantee your success and start the New Year off with a bang! Often times people view starting a fitness regime or getting in shape as a huge undertaking and hence, a lot of effort. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Remember to just take one step at a time. A good start begins with simply laying out a format to follow. That may mean joining a gym, purchasing some workout equipment, or just making a commitment to yourself or to a friend to walk 3 days a week a 3:00 pm. My point is that it can be different for each person. If you don’t know how to begin, try contacting a personal trainer to help you get started. One of the first steps is to be realistic and honest with yourself about your expectations. For example, if you work long hours and leave your house at 5 am, it’s probably best to plan to exercise after work rather than before. If you are on a budget and can’t afford to purchase a gym membership, it probably isn’t necessary or smart for you to drop $1,000 on a home gym. You can, however, get started with next to nothing if you know how to go about it. There are plenty of exercises you can do without any equipment. Just don’t set yourself up for failure. Instead, plan ahead so that you will be successful in your fitness endeavors. Listed below are some simple questions to ask yourself to help you get started. That way, you’re not diving in blindly. · What is the best time of day to set aside for exercise? You can get by with only 30 minutes a day, three days a week to get you started. Before work or maybe on your lunch hour?
· Where will you exercise? At home, at a gym, outside?
· Do you know what to do? If not, look into hiring a good personal trainer to at least get you started and then follow a program on your own
· Are you okay to exercise? Have you had a physical lately or is there any reason why you shouldn’t exercise? If you have any concerns, contact your physician before beginning
· Are you a self-motivated person? In other words, will you stick with an exercise program if no one is there to hold you accountable? If not, try contacting a trainer to work with you. Another option is to get a friend to commit to an exercise schedule and then hold each other accountable
· Set short, medium, and long term goals for yourself to help you gauge your progress and stay on track
· Wipe away any self-doubt. Believe in yourself—you can do it! Don’t let quitting be an option for you. Obviously, these are just a few questions to ask yourself; you can go into greater detail if you so choose. The overriding point I’m trying to get across to you is simply to plan for success by planning ahead so that you have an outline to follow. Make it concrete and make it realistic. 2005 is going to be a fantastic year—even better than the last one. I know that I am very excited and hopefully you are too!
©Melissa Allen is a certified personal trainer, Blackbelt & fitness consultant, as well as the owner of Optimum Condition— personal fitness training and kickboxing instruction. She is a self-syndicated columnist and a member of the San Diego Press Club and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. She welcomes input from her readers, so please contact her with any questions or comments that you may have by calling (619) 252-4993, email her at Opticondit@aol.com, or visit her website at www.optimumcondition.com.
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