How to Stay Committed to Your Fitness Goals in 2021
And where to start.
2021 is right around the corner, which means people will be making New Year's resolutions and setting new goals for the upcoming year. Millions of people set fitness goals and vouch that the new year will be the year that they lose weight and stick to that diet.
If you’re an avid gym-goer you know what this means, new members, filing in to fill your local gym and take over the equipment. As frustrating and easy it is to pass judgment while watching some noob completely misuse a machine or ego lift with bad form; remember that we all started somewhere.
Although COVID-19 restrictions have ramped up and gyms may be closing down once again, make 2021 the year that you finally change your life and well being and love the person you see in the mirror.
Here’s how.
Start Small
I see it too often, people set fitness goals and start their weight loss journey, and a week into coming to the gym they quit. Why is that? Too many people expect results right away and get frustrated when they don't notice a difference mere days or a week in.
Reality check — you're not going to lose that 50 pounds in a week. You’re not going to gain that six-pack overnight. Don’t rush the results. Start small. If you haven’t been to the gym in 10 years or have never been at all, don't push yourself beyond your limits and burn out right away.
Your muscles are going to be sore at the start, you’re going to be tired, and you’re going to question your sanity. “Why am I torturing my body and giving up fast food to feel like shit?” you may ask. It’s a part of the process. Everybody wants the results, but nobody wants to make the sacrifice to get the results.
If you’re weight training, start with a light weight that you can perform the lift under control and with proper form. At the start, it’s easy to do what we call “ego lifting”. People come into the gym and fear judgment from other people and start throwing around weight they can’t control or lift with proper technique. Results will be hindered if you’re not adequately activating the muscles you’re intending to target.
When first starting, get a feel for proper form and technique before advancing to going heavy and hitting PR’s. If weight loss is your goal, cardio is your best friend. It certainly isn’t mine but that’s neither here nor there. Something about running and quietly dying and gasping for air doesn’t sit right with me. But add a form of cardio to your training to burn calories. Rather it is the treadmill, stair climber, riding a bike, or running outside. Start with shorter time intervals and work your way up, surpassing the previous time.
Do Your Homework
If you’re serious about changing your life and committing to your fitness goals, it’s important to know what you’re doing to maximize your results. YouTube is a great place to start. Research workouts. If you’re not sure how to properly perform a lift with the correct technique, there’s plenty of videos demonstrating how to properly execute and target the intended muscle group.
Google workout programs and save them to your phone or buy a fitness notebook to write down and track your workouts. As you start to get comfortable and get a routine going, continue to learn new workouts, and change up your routines to prevent from hitting a plateau.
Just like anything in life, just keep learning and growing, and in time the results will start to come.
Fall In Love With the Process
This is what separates you from those who quit within weeks or months. Most people don’t stick with it long enough to love working out. They go to the gym and just go through the motions, lift from a to b, and don’t really hone in on the mind-muscle connection.
I get it, I didn’t understand why I was making my body feel sore to the point where it was difficult to do routine tasks. Sitting down on a toilet after a killer leg day workout still gives me nightmares. But I fell in love. Once I started noticing even the littlest of gains and progress, I was hooked. That’s all it takes; it’s a gratifying feeling knowing that you’ve worked for something and the results are starting to show.
When you fall in love with the process and experience the confidence that you feel after a good workout, that’s where the real results start to materialize. It becomes an obsession. It takes more discipline to stay away from the gym on rest days. Ask any avid gym-goer, some days it’s not even about making gains. It’s therapy, it’s a place to put your headphones in and forget about all your problems for a little while.
Stick To the Plan
Yes, I’m talking about that dirty four-letter “d” word. Diet. Here’s the unfiltered, raw, truth. You can’t out-train a shit diet, plain and simple. Progress is made in the kitchen. Whatever your goal is, rather it’s weight loss or muscle gain, or both.
Discipline yourself and remember why you started to begin with. Most people think finding one hour during their day to get in the gym is the hard part, in reality, the hardest part is sticking to a diet and breaking your bad eating habits. Ditch the refined sugar snacks, track your macros, and up your water intake. If you’re trying to lose weight you have to be at a caloric deficit, meaning you have to reduce the number of calories you're taking in. If you’re trying to bulk and add muscle, you’d be at a caloric surplus.
Proteins, good carbohydrates, and healthy fats are staples to any healthy diet. As mentioned above, track your macros according to your fitness goals.
If it’s all too confusing, Google is your friend. It takes you down a rabbit hole and is a good place to research diet information and plans that may work for you. A lot of gyms have personal trainers you can work with to get a better understanding of workout plans and nutritional information to aid you in your fitness journey.
As I’ve mentioned, YouTube has lots of great content and fitness enthusiast that post informational videos catered to any questions you have. I could talk forever on fitness and dieting as it’s become a major passion and foundation of my everyday life. If anyone has any health and fitness questions, I’d LOVE to hear from you and assist you with your fitness journey. Let’s make 2021 the healthiest and happiest year yet.
