Why lose weight and get fit should never be on your New Years Resolutions list

Gym's and personal trainers love the average person. You know the kind of person who decides after eating far too much over the christmas and New Year season they need to lose weight and get fit. First item on the New Year's Resolutions list is usually that...lose weight and get fit. Closely followed by - buy a gym membership.

What happens then of course is the gyms are at their busiest during January and the beginning of February. Get to March and only the "fittest" still go. We are now of course in August - and I can almost guarantee that few if any of those people who had "lose weight and get fit" on the top of their lists are still doing all they can to achieve that particular goal.

And the reasons why are many:

1. You are chasing a negative. I want to lose weight is hardly the most inspiring of reasons to cut back on all those wonderful, yummy things you like to eat. Similarly "get fit" is not enough of a reason on it's own. Why do you want to get fit? Find the answer to that one and you will have a positive reason to go to the gym, with of course the added benefit you can almost always be guaranteed to lose weight as well.
2. Life gets in the way. It's OK going to the gym, eating healthy stuff when you don't have the added pressures of going to work and maintain house and home. Most people have some time off during Christmas and New Year, and this is the time they usually think they could and should be doing more. But if you don't factor in "normal" life then you are always going to struggle to keep the momentum going.
3. It's boring - believe me - been there and had several gym memberships to prove it. It's a necessary exercise plan for me, but even I get bored. Yes I crank up the personal music player - but you can and do find all sorts of reasons not to go.
4. You're friends keep piking. One of the ways to counter not going is to go with a "friend" or family member - but unless they are as commited as you are to keeping fit, they too will find all sorts of reasons and excuses as to why they can't make it today.
5. We don't associate with people who do exercise regularly. Chances are good - if you care to look at your friends and family - they will be just like the mirrors of yourself. Go on take a good look at the people you associate with - if they're doing something on a regular basis - I can almost guarantee you will be doing similar things. Now this could be a good or a bad thing, all I am asking is that you take a look. Now I am not saying you should get better friends - if they're the kinds who haven't picked up a book since they left school, or get out of breath climbing a set of stairs, but you will always achieve more if you associate with people who are achieving more.

So what can you do? 

Dust off the gym membership, book a session with the doctor if you need to, and your personal trainer and get started again. Remember you can walk anywhere in the world if you leave yourself enough time to do it in. 

You should also remember there are no magic bullets when it comes to health and fitness. You need to change your lifestyle not just your eating habits. What can you do today? Are you willing to do it? With all the best will in the world you will only lose 1-2lbs a week - slightly more if you exercise a lot, but this tends to be fluid in the beginning. So regular rehydration is essential to give yourself the energy to keep going. 

But do not dispair at that thought - once your muscles start to tone, you will begin to see a major change in your body shape. Muscle may weigh more than fat, but it takes up about half the space. A kilo of fat is about the size of a house brick!! 

Keep a journal of the highs and lows. Remember what worked and what didn't and you can get through the lows and achieve more highs