The New Year is well underway, so the time is better than ever to get going with your 2019 fitness resolutions. Getting in shape and banishing negative habits from your life might not be inherently easy, but if you abandon your goals the disappointment will be even more difficult to bear, so the best thing to do is to “man up” and make a solid game plan.
The good thing is that the journey to a chiseled physique and a healthy body doesn’t have to be as arduous and long as you might think – you only need to implement several key effective habits that are proven to deliver results. With that in mind, here is your New Year’s fitness resolution plan that will get you in shape and instill positive habits in your life.
Find your fitness passion
The habits that stick are the ones you are passionate about. Now, even though some habits and lifestyle changes are born out of necessity, that doesn’t mean that you cannot become passionate about them over time. The most important thing to remember is that you cannot force something inherently unappealing to you to become a passion.
The key to loving your fitness journey lies in discovering the fitness regime and method that moves you from within, makes you smile and helps you get up in the morning with positivity and zeal. This doesn’t necessarily have to be pumping weights in the gym, remember that. It can be any challenging activity, including running, outdoor training, martial arts, dancing, yoga, and many, many more.
Adhere to progressive overload
No matter the direction you take, the principle of progressive overload still applies. In a nutshell, this means that your workouts need to become more challenging over time in order to force your body to grow, become leaner, more muscular, and stronger. If you just keep doing the same thing, after all, you will always get the same results.
Instead, focus on slowly upping the intensity of your workouts. This can mean lifting more weight in the gym month to month, running longer distances in a shorter amount of time, or tackling bigger and more skilled opponents depending on the sport. This kind of slow-and-steady progression will help you on the psychological level as well, as it will give you a viable goal and the drive you need to reach it.
Optimize your nutrition and stick to it
Nutrition is one of the most important elements of success in fitness. It’s a key psychological driver and it will determine your rate of progress whether you’re trying to add size or lose weight. For the majority of men looking to get fit, adding muscle and losing fat will be a single goal. It’s important to know that body re-composition is possible, but you will need to take a calculated approach to dieting.
What’s more, you will need to eliminate unhealthy foods from your diet and stick to healthy, home-cooked meals. Don’t underestimate the power of supplementation either, and the potential of healthy meal replacement shakes to resupply your body with the nutrients it needs to grow. This becomes especially important if you need to eat on the go, at work, or simply don’t have time to prepare a whole meal.
Tend to proper post-workout recovery
Another crucial element of progress is long-term injury prevention by tending to proper post-workout recovery. There is nothing that can discourage you from pursuing your fitness goals further than getting injured and having to wait for your body to heal before you can get back into the gym, so prevention will be imperative here.
The best thing you can do after a rigorous workout is to go home, and let your muscles rest and recuperate. Before you do, though, you should learn the proper ways to execute every movement during training. Tend to 10 minutes of warming up, foam rolling, and mobility work before training as well. Take another ten minutes to stretch afterwards. Visit your physical therapist on occasion to alleviate sore spots and inflammation.
Monitor progress and improve accordingly
You can only reach your goals if you know where you’re currently at, but the sad truth is that the majority of trainees do not track their progress as religiously as they should. You can use a dedicated fitness app to keep track of your calories and macronutrients, as well as your vitamin and mineral intake. There are apps out there for every type of sport as well that allow you to put in the numbers and reference them the next time you feel a need to up the intensity. Remember, a calculated approach to training yields the best results, and it also helps you keep your eyes on the prize.
With 2019 in full swing, there is no better time than right now to kick-start your fitness transformation journey. With a solid battle plan at your side, there is nothing stopping you from building the body you want, and the healthy lifestyle that you deserve.