January 2, 2016
The holidays are coming to a close, the new year has officially begun, and it’s time to snap back to reality.
We’ve all been there.
You’ve made a few new year’s resolutions, and THIS is going to be the year that you actually stick to them. Inevitably, at least one of your determinations this year probably has something to do with physical fitness.
Maybe you want to lose weight, or put on muscle, or add a few miles to your distance running. Maybe you want to crush your previous Spinning performance, or practice Yoga five days a week. Or maybe you just want to get in shape and feel better about yourself.
Whatever your goals are, and whatever the reasons are behind them, the new year really is an excellent opportunity to set expectations for yourself and exceed them.
If you’re like most people, you’ll stick to your resolutions ardently for the first couple weeks of 2016. You’ll buy new workout clothes and a comfortable pair of running shoes, and through about January 20th, you’ll be excited about sticking to your new plan, and you’ll feel great about yourself.
And then life will happen. Maybe you’ll start to let up a little bit, and then a little bit more, and before you know it you’re back to the point where you can’t remember when your last workout was.
So the question is, how can we set fitness resolutions for the new year and actually stick to them?
At Evolve Fitness, if we had to give one piece of advice to someone looking to achieve their fitness goals in 2016, it would be this:
Creating a workout plan for yourself and sticking to it is hard. Work, family and responsibility get in the way, and no matter how strong your intentions are, you’re likely to get sidetracked at some point. But investing in a personal trainer is one of the most effective ways a person can maximize their chances of fitness success, and these are just a few of the reasons why you should consider stepping up to the plate in 2016.
An Evolve Fitness personal trainer demonstrates the hanging leg raise
Being held accountable is often cited as one of the most important ways a person can improve their odds of success when working towards a goal or resolution. For example, some people advise that if you want to lose weight, you should announce it to all your friends on Facebook, which theoretically means that if you don’t stick to your plan, someone will call you out on it.
Not bad advice, but Evolve Fitness would suggest taking it a step further.
Hiring a personal trainer provides you with a built in accountability system. Feel like skipping your workout to blaze through four hours of House of Cards? When you have to call your personal trainer to cancel, you just might think twice about your decision.
That’s not to say that your fitness consultant can do the work for you, but you’ll have an automatic support system, and you might be surprised at just how far a little encouragement can go.
As anyone who’s exercised regularly for any extended period of time can tell you – it’s easy to become complacent. You do the same routine at the gym, run the same 3 mile route every day, or practice the same yoga postures every week, and it can definitely start to get a little stale.
And not only can exercise get boring when you’re going at it alone, but it’s also starts to become less effective. If you’re lifting weights, you’re hitting the same muscle groups over and over again without really seeing any growth. If you’re trying to lose weight, you might hit 10 or 15 pounds and then plateau. It happens to the best of us.
And while there’s something to be said for just sticking to a routine and practicing consistency, it’s also important to keep things fresh, for both your physical and mental health.
A personal trainer will help you develop a plan to achieve your fitness goals, and make sure that you’re taking the most efficient path to get there. Each week you’ll have unique ideas and challenging new exercises to incorporate into your routine, pushing the bar ever higher and making sure that you don’t get stuck in a rut.
If you’re like most Evolve Fitness members, you’re probably not swimming in a sea of endless free time. Everyone has obligations, and staying healthy and active just isn’t always at the top of the list.
So who wants to spend 12 hours a week at the gym when you can achieve the same results in half the time?
By working with a personal trainer, you’ll ensure that every minute you spend at either our Framingham or Cambridge, MA location is used productively.
When you’re working out with a personal trainer, you’re really working out. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get done in an hour long session.
Even just one truly effective hour long session per week is better than three or four mediocre two-hour sessions per week.
You know that feeling you get after an incredible workout? Get ready to experience that joy more often.
We only get so much time on this earth. Why not make the most of it?
Perhaps the most important way a personal trainer will improve your odds of sticking to your fitness resolutions this year is this:
It’s simply more fun to work with an experienced trainer than it is to exercise on your own.
Not only will your trainer push you to achieve new and loftier goals, but they will also help you turn that hour at the gym from a chore into an activity that you will actually look forward to.
No more dreading going to the gym, putting it off until the very last possible minute.
When you’re working with a personal trainer, a trip to the gym will feel more like hanging out with a friend than an uninspiring obligation.
Having fun means you’ll achieve greater results. And whether it’s losing 20 pounds instead of 10, or running a marathon instead of a 5K, exceeding your goals will inspire you to stick with your wellness routine this year.
A personal trainer is an investment. But if you’re looking to actually stick to your fitness resolutions – not just this year, but for the long haul, hiring a trainer is more than worthwhile.
But don’t take our word for it. Check out our list of experienced, qualified personal trainers, and come stop by Evolve Fitness in Cambridge or Framingham, MA to find out how you can change your life in 2016!