How To Accomplish New Year’s Fitness Resolutions In 2021
Now that 2020, the roller coaster of a year, has come to a close, many of us are wishing for a smoother, more focused year ahead. However, with the pandemic still taking its grips across the country and the world, it may seem hard to prioritize or even make New Year’s fitness resolutions in 2021.
Breaking Pandemic Habits and Excuses
In a time of crisis and stay-at-home orders, clinging to old, familiar, unhealthy habits as well as making excuses that gyms, studios, and public spaces are closed may feel stable, safe, and comfortable. On top of that, juggling kids at home and new work schedules has left most of us busier with less “me time” to devote to accomplishing fitness resolutions. It may seem like a catch twenty-two and a good reason not to focus on improving health and fitness in the coming year. But, the only way to start feeling more confident and secure in these uncertain times is to make resolutions and break these 2020 habits.
To help you beat this catch twenty-two and accomplish New Year’s fitness resolutions, we have put together a few tips to find balance and keep going.
Get Creative
As mentioned above, many gyms, studios, and other workout locations are closed or running with limited capacity and times in addition to our shifting schedules and responsibilities all make it hard to focus on fitness. With that in mind, it is still possible to work out and improve your health. Deciding to go for walks and transitioning into running, using YouTube videos, taking hikes, and involving loved ones will make accomplishing New Year’s fitness resolutions doable. Having a creative mindset around simply being active day after day, will turn into a healthy habit. Hint: use an app to help keep you moving.
Focus on a purpose, not a specific outcome
A tried and true statement for accomplishing any New Year’s goal, in any old year, it is important not to focus on becoming skinny, gaining a certain amount of mass, winning a race, and so on. Instead, to avoid burnout, it is important to focus on the fact that fitness resolutions improve health and lead to long-term self-love and happiness. Never beat yourself up over not losing a pound, but instead, give yourself praise for getting up and doing something for your health.
Break Up The Resolution Into Short-Term Achievements
When it comes to setting a purpose like becoming healthier through working out and eating well, going full force into this resolution, especially when life already feels so unstable in the pandemic, will set anyone up for failure. Instead of abruptly going from waking up at 10 am, not working out, and eating junk foods to waking up at 5 am, doing a full hour of HIT workouts 7 days a week, and only eating veggies, ease into it. Start by walking a few days a week, eating a salad for lunch, and recording what you do. Make goals for each habit. Then in a month or so, achieving the resolution will feel easier without a huge sacrifice.
Make It fun
Truth is, when something is fun, you are more likely to do it. From turning a walk into an eye spy game or taking your fur baby out for a trail walk to investing in new workout pants, shirts, and you guessed it, socks with prints to inspire, it all has a lasting impact that will keep you on track. Fitness should never be something you dread; making fitness fun is a sure-fire way to accomplish any resolution, even in the unknown of 2021.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, knowing that you set a resolution and hope for the best in the coming year is not enough. Changing habits, getting creative, focusing on the purpose, keeping it short-term, and making it fun is how you can make fitness a priority no matter what curveballs life throws at you.
