This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fit4Less. The opinions and text are all mine.
How can you actually make your fitness goals stick this year?
We resolve the same things every year but how many of us make it past February 1st?
I’ve got some big resolutions this year, and I’m determined that I’ll see them through. I’ve even got my husband keeping me accountable (which he’s enjoying way too much)! But when it comes to fitness goals, there are some specific things I’ve found have worked to keep me motivated and sticking with my resolutions.
These are the principles that had me going to the gym every single morning at 7:00 when I was in university, and are what I’m starting again this year now that I have to wake up early to get my husband to work!
I hope these help you! Let’s go:
1. Get real about what’s holding you back
If you’re like me, you’ve likely been resolving to get in shape every year since you were fifteen. But have you ever stopped to really ask why you haven’t stuck with it in the past?
For me, it’s simple–I’m tired. Plain and simple. Right now the biggest obstacle I’m dealing with is that I drive my husband to work at 7:30 every morning and I’m exhausted–but that’s my only time to work out. We are working on going to bed earlier so that I can feel rested and less tired so that I actually go to the gym instead of collapsing back into bed!
I know for many young adults or students, price can be a huge issue. Paying $75 a month for a membership you may not use as often as you’d like is incredibly daunting. The result? No gym membership at all, so you don’t do the workouts, or you get a membership and stress about your budget.
If this is a problem for you, I’d seriously suggest checking out Fit4Less. Fit4Less is a Canadian fitness company that has created amazing gyms across Canada–their equipment is great, their facilities are clean, and they’re extremely friendly, as any Canadian company should be!
But to top it all off, they’ve got some of the most competitive rates I’ve ever seen, starting at $4.99 every two weeks for 4Less memberships (with an affordable joining fee). That’s literally just two lattes a month! If price has been an issue for you in the past but you still want to be able to work out at a quality gym, check out Fit4Less!
What has held you back in the past? How can you overcome that obstacle this year?
2. Go on a cash budget for food
A huge issue for getting in shape and staying on track is watching what we eat. When we eat good food, we feel good, and we go to the gym. But unhealthy food is just so dang convenient, isn’t it? It’s so much easier to grab a bag of chips or order in a pizza than it is to cook a good meal.
But convenient food is also often quite expensive. That’s one of the many reasons why getting fit can actually save you a ton of money–you stop eating expensive, unhealthy meals and start cooking from scratch.
Going on a cash budget for food can seriously help curb your spending on junk food if grabbing fast food or ordering in is a real issue for you (speaking from experience here! This is my weak spot). Take out the amount of money you can spend on food at the beginning of the month and that’s it. You suddenly realize that if you want to stick on the budget you’ll be making yourself fried rice for lunch instead of grabbing a burger.
3. Stock up on healthy foods
To follow up with point number 2, keeping healthy foods that you enjoy in your house can help curb those cravings as well. I have a huge problem with motivation around cooking and working out–it’s so tempting to just order something in! But meal prepping on Sundays helps me have healthy options available and already cooked (or at least the hard parts done, like chopping and washing all the veggies and cooking the rice) makes it so much easier. It makes shelling out $30 for us to order in a lot more difficult when I could throw together a Teriyaki rice bowl in about 10 minutes with ingredients I already have in the house.
Explore recipes to find meals and snacks that you truly enjoy that are still healthy, and keep those in the house. It’s OK to eat the same things a lot, just find what works for you and stock up on it!
4. Schedule it in
It’s one thing to say “I’m going to work out more this year” and another to say, “I’m going to work out at 8:00 before work every morning, light cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays and more intense HIIT and lifting workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
This is one area where gyms with classes can be a huge help. Fit4Less has just launched a really cool virtual fitness program called MOVE123 where you can do workouts on your own time or go to a scheduled class (please note: not all clubs have virtual studios). They’ve got tons of classes to choose from, and for those of you who are like me, having someone tell you what to do can be extremely helpful.
5. Find a gym that works for you
When I was in university, my school had two gyms. One was a dank, dark one in the basement of the health science building, the other was a giant sports complex with floor-to-ceiling windows, approximately 10x the size of the other one.
I absolutely loved the dank, dark one.
See, even though the basement gym wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing, and I much preferred the equipment and the look of the other gym, the people were so down-to-earth. I could go as the little gym rookie that I was and if my form was off, someone would just help me correct it. It wouldn’t be a big deal, I could just ask and they’d show me how to do it.
I’m very self-conscious when I work out, because I’m not the strongest one there, I don’t have the most defined muscles, and I don’t know what I’m doing half the time. But being in a gym environment where working out wasn’t a competition, but people were just happy I was showing up was a huge boost to my confidence.
What kinds of things are you looking for in a gym? Write down a few and bring those questions to the gyms you check out. Head over to your local Fit4Less gym and talk to them about what makes you feel at home in a gym to see if it’s a good fit for you!
