5 Tips for Staying Motivated in the New Year
This post is a part of our first Kickstart Fitness week on Fit Bottomed Mamas to help moms and future moms be fitter and healthier in 2015. Read all of this week’s special content here!
This week has been all about kickstarting your fitness in the New Year and staying motivated for the right reasons. So today I’m going to dump onto this page a few things that are floating around my brain that may just help you stay motivated and continue to seek out your goals in 2012!
5 Tips for Staying Motivated in the New Year
1. Set goals. It’s easy to hit a workout rut when you don’t have a goal. So don’t wander around the gym—or even your own living room—without one. And vague goals like “lose weight” or “exercise more” set you up for failure. If you suspect your New Year’s resolution is a bit lackluster, revamp it with these fitness goal-setting tips.
2. Make it easy on yourself. You want to push yourself to be the best that you can be in both fitness and health. But as tip No. 1 will teach you, be realistic. Hitting the gym every day or cooking every meal from scratch while balancing three kids, carpools, a 40-hour work week, laundry and basic hygiene just might not be possible. Pop in a workout DVD or run around with your kids when you can’t get to the gym or settle for that organic home-cooked meal on the weekends.
3. Find support. It practically takes a village to be able to carve out time for yourself. Make sure your partner (and kids if they’re old enough) knows that workouts are an interruption-free time or make a grandparent or friend baby-sitting schedule if you’re a single parent so that you can fit in a few sweat sessions a week. Start a stroller-friendly walking group with other new moms or find a gym that provides childcare. This book has great ideas on how to prioritize fitness and health, and like it says, make sure you have a reason for missing a workout, not an excuse.
4. Pop it in. I know that for me, workout DVDs are a godsend. They don’t require travel or even decent attire. We’ve reviewed many prenatal and postpartum DVDs here, but if you’re ready to pump up the jam a bit more, be sure to check out our favorite workout DVDs over on FBG. From the best beginner DVDs to the hardest of hard and all of the in between, we’ll totally help prevent workout DVD buyer’s remorse.
5. Giveaways. I don’t know about you, but for me, nothing is more motivating than new workout apparel or a fun new DVD or gadget. This week, things are extra-special over on FBG with giveaways every day. Don’t forget to go comment to win great prizes!
Do fun new workout clothes get you as happy as they do me? And how do you plan to stay motivated this year? —Erin