Busy Ladies, when January 1st comes, our gym is jam-packed with women determined to make a fresh start on the New Year fitness plan. Every single piece of equipment is in use by women who are highly motivated. As a matter of fact, a large percentage of them are wearing the cute ‘lil gym outfit that their “boo thang” bought them for Christmas. Ohhhhhhh, but when February comes, the utility bills of that same gym are cut in half because those pieces of workout equipment that were running 90% of the day are now only running about 20% of the day. That’s a great positive for the gym owner because now, they are paying less in utilities but still receiving your auto monthly gym membership payment. Ladies, why do we cheat ourselves like that…throwing our finances out of the window for no beneficial cause, just for the sake of keeping our gym in business? Busy ladies, don’t feel bad. We’ve all been there! That doesn’t mean that you should not set fitness resolutions next January. Just make sure to follow the tips below that will help you to stick to your fitness goals for the full 365 days in the year.
1. Take Small Steps – It’s been some time since you have gone to the gym. Don’t go in pretending to be the hulk. Start small with a 20-minute walk on the treadmill, 10 to 15 minutes of weight training or a resistance class. Whatever type of weight training you decide to do, make sure you alternate the muscle groups from day to day. The abs are the only muscle group that can be worked every day, consistently. The last thing you want to do is hit the gym so hard your first few days that you reach burn out before you can get started good.
2. Join a Group – There’s something about being accountable to other women. Ladies, we are more likely to follow through with our routines when we have made a commitment to someone else. When you join a walking group or a group like “Black Girls Run”, the buddy system makes for a great way to keep each other motivated. When you have set a commitment to meet with your workout girlfriend, it’s much harder to cancel your workout session.
3. Refine Your Focus – Ladies, one of the hugest mistakes that you can make when you are trying to lose unwanted weight is to focus too much on the scale. That thing can be our worst enemy. There are so many factors that can affect your weight on a daily or even a weekly basis. If that number on the scale doesn’t move the way you’d hoped, you can easily become discouraged and lose motivation. Instead, place your focus on how you feel after your workout. See if your stress level is reduced. See if you feel more confident. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat, and the scale just may be telling you that you are on your way to a muscular 6-pack in the abs.
It’s never too late to start fresh or start over, ladies. Make this your month of restoration. Review these steps on a regular basis and just keep reminding yourself why you decided to start your fitness plan in the first place, whether it was just to be “fine” or to have a healthier lifestyle. Either one is justified, and you owe it to yourself to be content and have peace of mind, whatever your decision.