3 Simple Strategies to Get Fit Before the New Year

Be a rebel and work on yourself before the bell tolls. 

A lot of us wait until the midnight bell tolls when everything looks bright, shiny, and new to begin the task of completely flipping our lives around. For many of us, it’s the ideal time to reorganize our lives and put ourselves before other menial tasks — like laundry and taking care of our kids. 

We can’t resist a clean slate, which is what the first two weeks of the new year offer us. It’s our chance to transform our reality and become that Instagram-worthy influencer we compare ourselves to. But this time, we’re really going to do it!

We’re all adults here, and we know this yearly ritual is archaic as much as it is useless. Since this year has been more about adjusting to a new way of life, how about we take this old tradition and breathe new life into it? 

Here are 3 simple strategies to getting the ball rolling before the bell tolls!

Stop relying on emotions to determine your plan.

How many times have you said this: “I don’t feel like working out?” 

Millions perhaps? (My hand is raised!)

Here’s the thing, if we let how we feel in the moment determine our actions, we’re going to find ourselves sitting under a big, comfy blanket and binge-watching more often than we’ll find ourselves working out. 

Don’t rely on your emotions to get you into the flow state of working out. Instead, realize what you’re feeling, and then go ahead and ignore it. Ignore it while you’re putting on your workout clothes. Ignore it while you’re picking up weights or getting on the bike. Just ignore it and get busy moving your body regardless of that whiny voice in your head.

Plan your workouts and keep ’em short.

Take three minutes and plan your workouts for the week, even if it’s only the time you’ll workout (i.e., morning, after lunch, or before dinner). When you plan, you’re mentally preparing, which, as we all know, is more than half the battle. 

Once you have a plan, feel free to keep your workouts short. And by short, I mean 10-minutes. (Yes, you can still get in an incredible workout!). I run monthly challenges, and I keep the workouts to 10-minutes or less, and let me tell you, I am always sore the following day.

By keeping your workouts short, you eliminate the “I don’t have time” conversation. And honestly, if you can’t find 10-minutes in your day, you’re only kidding yourself. 

The power of three.

This prevents you from trying to change up too many things at once, which is a well-known recipe for giving up! When I make my to-do list for the day ahead, I never put more than three things even though I have about 50 things I could put on there. 

When you can’t check things off your to-do list, or you only get to two or three of them, you feel like you’ve accomplished nothing. Keeping your list short increases your odds of following through and helps you feel like you’re super-mom! (And who doesn’t want to feel super?!).

These 3 simple strategies are insanely effective in creating healthy habits around fitness and wellness. If you’re serious about getting in shape and want to take control of your health, start with these three strategies and turn your body into one you love!