Fit Body Quest: Sticking to your Fitness resolutions

It's that time of year again where the gym becomes overloaded with people looking to lose weight and get fit as part of their New Years Resolutions, but this is usually short lived and the gym, becomes the place with the normal faces that you've seen for the past few years and maybe a few of the new faces from the start of the new year.

The problem with New years resolutions is that so many people don't stick to them and their efforts will dwindle until you never see them again.

In this post I will give some advice and tips on how to stick to your journey and not give up so easily when taking on your resolutions.

1: Find a partner

Buddying up when it comes to going to the gym, can not only be safe when you need to have a spotter, but it can be motivational too. Having someone else to keep you accountable and to push you to your limits will help you progress further.
At the same time though this can be bad as if one person gives up the other is likely to also quit, so find someone that is in this for the long haul.

2: Don't Quit

This one sounds stupid, but it's true. The usual time it takes for someone to give up going to the gym is about 30 days. The reason for this is the person doesn't see enough progress and thinks that what they are doing is useless so goes back to their old ways.
You need to push past the 30 day period where going to the gym becomes a struggle and you're not seeing any progress, because believe me you will soon.
It takes around a month for you to see slight changes in yourself, but most of all this might not be on the scales. This leads me onto my next tip.

3: Take Progress Pictures

Throw away those scales after you've taken your starting weight. They'll only bring you down.
The measure of progress that you should be using are pictures. Take a progress photo at the start of your journey. One from the front with your hands by your side, one from the side with your arms outstretched and one from the back with your arms by your side.
The next time you should take another progress photo should be after about 6 weeks. You will be amazed at the difference, because you look at yourself in the mirror almost every day so don't notice slight changes. This is why pictures should be used as they are a great measure of your progress.

4: Track your lifts

Nothing is better than seeing the number on your lifts going up. It makes you feel proud and know that you are getting stronger. When I first started I could barely lift an olympic bar on bench press, now I look back and can't believe it was ever a struggle for me. My point is that tracking your lifts allow you to progress in a steady increase every time you reach your target reps for the weight you are on. Not tracking your lifts can leave you wondering what weight you were lifting and how many reps you managed last time. It can cause you to stall quite easily if you don't have something to remind you.
Get yourself a little journal and pen to take with you to the gym, or if you prefer there are plenty of apps that track workouts for you for most smartphones.

5: Make mini goals

Having one end goal is great, but it can sometimes make it seem farther away than it actually is, which can put you down and make you not want to workout anymore. Having mini goals set for a month away can make your journey a whole lot easier. If you want to lift an extra 5kg on your bench, it's a lot easier to obtain than wanting to get an extra 40kg on your bench, keep hitting that extra 5kg and before you know it you'll have added that 40kg you wanted. It's all about being realistic with your goals and not expecting to be the size of The Rock within a year if you're stating with a frame like Shaggy from Scooby Doo.