The 4 Big Things That Helped Me Stick To My New Year's Workout Plan

THE 4 BIG THINGS THAT HELPED ME STICK TO MY NEW YEAR'S WORKOUT PLAN

Over my 48 years of life I've learned for me, there was no magic dust, no magic powder, nothing that would make me stick to the workout plans I was determined to stick to new year after new year. And oh my gosh, I can't tell you how many gyms I have joined in the past in hopes of keeping my New Year's work out plans. 

THE 4 BIG THINGS THAT HELPED ME STICK TO MY NEW YEAR'S WORKOUT PLAN

Now don't get me wrong, I definitely have benefited from joining the gym, especially in 2017 when I joined the YMCA in Nashville. They had the best gym downtown and the steam room was my jam. But what really helped me to stick to the new year's workout plans that I no longer make, was changing my mind set. 

I shared in this Instagram post that in my 30's I learned that I had high cholesterol. Thirty something was just too young for that. And at the time I was a massage therapist determined to practice what I preached. For that reason and many others, I was determined to lower my cholesterol without any meds and determined to change my lifestyle, not for weight loss or for the new year, but for better health. 

NEW YEAR'S WORKOUT PLAN

The first thing I changed that helped me to stick to my workout plan was I changed my mind set. I would set goals to loose wait for a vacation, birthday, to fit into my New Year's Eve dress, drop 10 pounds for this, 5 pounds for that and for me, this type of mind set, kind of set me up for failure. With my overall goal to have a better lifestyle and overall better health, these type of goals just weren't cutting it. So I cut it out and started to workout on a regular basis for different reasons. In the beginning I had a more structured workout along with eating differently to get my cholesterol down and to get down to a weight that felt good for me. 

It took some years, but I eventually got down to a weight that felt good to me, felt good on my joints and down to a weight that just felt like me. And working out became less of  a plan and a chore, and more of a second nature thing. 

While I still go to the gym, my workouts include making sure I move every single day. And what I mean by that is depending on where I am, I move by going for a walk. If I'm near a gym, I'll go to the gym. When at home in Chattanooga I'll join friends that I know like to hike or bike and go for a hike or fun bike ride. I move beyond just getting up out of bed, going to the bathroom, getting up and down from my work desk. Sometimes my movement may be getting on my yoga mat for some gentle stretches. Whatever feels good and fun and loving to my body, that's my workout. And I do like to sweat, so more often than not, I do go to the gym. 

Currently my favorite workout is running on the treadmill and alternating doing weights for my upper and lower body. I'm also a fan of dancing and like to take dance lessons from time to time. And swimming, oh how I love and miss swimming. 

WORKOUT PLAN

Since my workouts have become an integral part of my lifestyle, the only workout plans I make for New Year's now is to try something fun and new some time within the year. I add those I love and do them regularly, and the things I don't like, well, let's just say it's always cool to try something new. :)

And I've learned to be gentle with myself. If I miss a workout, if I eat a bit too much at an event, I don't beat myself up and feel like I need to workout out more or push myself more. With working out being a lifestyle and for better health, there's no "punishment" so to speak for living and doing things differently every now and again. I just continue on with the love for myself and my body and just pick up the new day as usual keeping in mind that the goal is to move each day and to overall stay healthy. For me this mind set of being gentle with myself keeps me happy, motivated and has become a great form of self love and self care for me. 

Below are some goodies I like to have on hand to help accommodate my workouts and my self love rituals. 

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