Gyms are jampacked right now.
Well, unless Covid still got those places closed where you live. Everywhere else, they’re packed to the top.
Why? Because it’s January. And with every first month of the year come the new year resolutions. On top of many people’s lists: Getting fit. Finally.
Fast forward to February, and the gyms are back to normal again. Why? Because most people have already quit by then.
What can we do about that?
1. Don’t go to the gym
Okay, this sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s actually two valid points in one.
Step 1
First of all, getting fit has very little to do with exercise. The majority of it is eating. Unfortunately. I love my burgers just as much as the next guy.
Food will make or break your fitness goals. So, before you even think about the gym, try to think about your food choices.
And no, don’t quit everything you love cold turkey! That will just lead to failure. Baby steps! Some tips:
- order less takeout if you do if often
- grab healthier snacks like nuts, veggies, or fruit instead of chocolate
- skip one meal a day
- limit your carbohydrates
Step 2
Secondly, you don’t need a gym (or an expensive membership) to get fit. Especially for beginners, simple exercises that you can do at home are all that’s needed to get going. It doesn’t have to be much either! No 1.5-hour session 5 days a week.
You’re going to burn out quicker than a cheap candle.
Instead, make use of these tips:
- do 15 minutes one day, 30 the next, then take a day off and continue the day after with 20 minutes
- A yoga YouTube video, a bodyweight session, or a fast walk in the park are all perfect exercises
However, if you love to go to the gym, then go. Do you!
2. It’s not a sprint (unless you sprint)
What I mean by this is, unless you’re a sprinter, it’s not a race. Getting fit is a lifestyle, not something to check off in 4 weeks.
A lifestyle means it’s going to become a habit and then it’ll be effective. Otherwise, you’ll end up quitting before it really began.
This is the part most people, including me, struggle with. Creating a new habit or routine is not easy. And it will take some time.
As with writing, consistency is key to fitness as well.
3. Challenge yourself
One thing I love about the new year and all the resolutions is the plethora of fitness challenges you can take part in right now. Oftentimes for free. Don’t pay for something like that. You won’t succeed just because you paid.
Yoga challenges like our favorite ones from German yoga queen Mady Morrison, 90-day challenges with bodyweight workouts, running groups, and much more. These are all great ways to get fit and social at the same time.
For me, this always helps to stick with a routine. My wife and I try to do these challenges together.
4. Throw away your scale
You don’t want to weigh yourself constantly. Weight is really not an important factor for getting fit and healthy. I mean, generally speaking, it can be, of course, but daily weighting won’t help. Here are two tips:
- Instead of weighting, you could take measurements of the areas you want to improve in, like the waist or hips, arms or legs, and take these every week or two weeks. Those changes will take longer but they’ll make a larger visual difference. Your weight might not even change at all because you lose fat and build muscle. Ideally.
- Or you could focus on strength and endurance improvements, for example, how many reps you can do at a certain weight now vs. in 1 month from now, or how fast you can run a mile now vs. 30 days later.
5. “Excuse me”
To be honest, this is my Achilles heel. Excuses. I always find ten of them when I don’t want to work out.
There’s no way around it, then just … stop with the excuses. Then again, don’t beat yourself up for taking a day off. Our bodies do need off-time to refuel, ideally with a lot of sleep and good food.
Bonus
Please, listen to music (or some other audio medium like podcasts or audiobooks) while you work out. This has multiple effects:
- You’re distracted in a good way. Time will fly.
- You’ll learn something along the way or just release happy hormones like Dopamine while listening to your favorite tunes. Who doesn’t love to feel great while working out?
- You might discover new cool songs or playlists along the way.
The bottom line
I’m by no means a “fit” person. I have my struggles with routines and consistency. I’m on the same journey as many of you. As a father of 5, I also have the unofficially mandatory dad bod which I love to get rid of this year.
Let’s recap the tips I try to follow in 2022:
- No gym, instead bodyweight workouts and home exercises. Also a heavy focus on nutrition.
- Building a habit
- Taking part in challenges
- No daily weighting
- No excuses
What’s your plan for 2022?
