5 tips to help you keep your New Year’s fitness resolutions

On Jan. 1, people flocked to gyms around the country, eager to get started on their fitness resolution.

But sometimes old habits get in the way of new ones, and those goals get put on the back burner.

“People will get bogged down with work, some people have deadlines at the end of the month … they have to get projects done, or if they have kids, they’ve got events going on, so a lot of times, it’s closer to the end of the month,” said Richard Johnson, the training manager at Life Time Green Valley.

Here are five tips to help keep your resolutions as January wears on:

SET MORE MANAGEABLE GOALS 

One of the biggest problems people face is setting too lofty goals, which creates a mindset that the goal is impossible.

“Let’s say they want to lose 100 pounds, and they realize, OK, two, three weeks in that might be a very daunting task, so then we try to have a conversation about, OK, what’s a smaller goal that they can focus on,” Johnson said. “Maybe it’s running a mile, or maybe it’s they want to lose 3 pounds next month, but kind of just re-establishing goals and setting a more finite timeline … that’s one thing we do.”

Johnson said they talk about SMART — specific, measurable, attractive, realistic and timely — goals, and setting smaller ones help keep expectations in check.

“It gives you these little checkpoints that are little wins along the way to keep you motivated and keep you excited about working out or getting in shape or whatever it is,” Johnson said.

DO SOMETHING FUN 

Whatever you’re doing, make sure it’s enjoyable.

“If you hate doing cardio, you hate running on the treadmill for an hour, going at the same pace for an hour bores you to death, don’t do that,” said Donald Code, the personal training manager at a Las Vegas Anytime Fitness. “A lot of time people have a bad reference for exercise. They tried to exercise, and it didn’t work out. We always say it’s got to be fun or it’s not going to work, so whatever you do for exercise, make it fun.”

BE CONSISTENT 

Finding a way to fit yet another thing into the daily routine might seem daunting at first. But give it enough time, and it becomes part of the new normal.

“It’s got to be a consistent thing, and once you’re able to make it a consistent routine, typically over 90 days, then it just becomes habitual,” Johnson said. “Sticking to something for 90 days is typically when people are going to see the most success.”

HAVE SOMEONE KEEP YOU ACCOUNTABLE 

It doesn’t matter who.

“We tend to keep our commitments to other people more than to ourselves, especially when maybe we’re tired after work and we really don’t feel like exercising, so accountability’s really the biggest thing we offer our clients,” Code said.

For those not looking to hire a personal trainer, a friend, significant other, co-worker or anyone else also can help with accountability.

“If you know you’re meeting somebody — a friend — you can kind of help each other to keep your promise to yourself,” Code said

INCENTIVIZE IT 

Sure, getting healthier is certainly one incentive.

But there are other things that can make going to the gym more fun when you start to hit that lull.

“Maybe you’re making it a bet with yourself or a friend or a co-worker that at the end of this two weeks or month that the person will win, I don’t know, 10 dollars or whatever it is, take the other person to dinner,” Johnson said. “Making it competitive typically will help people stay engaged longer.”

Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.