How many sweets did you consume this holiday season? Would it surprise you to know that on an average, non-festive day the average American ingests somewhere between a quarter and half a pound of sugar? Even without the extra holiday parties, generous amounts of eggnog and figgy pudding, 75% of all packaged foods in the U.S. list sugar as an added ingredient.
What’s more, it’s highly addictive. One NYT article explains that given the choice between a highly addictive narcotic like cocaine and refined sugar, rodents overwhelmingly choose sugar, which gives them a more pronounced high.
But suppose you did your best to cut out processed sugars altogether. It’d be a great start; however, most of us still live an exceptionally sedentary lifestyle. Never mind that the vast majority spend at least eight hours of the workday seated in front of the computer, our arduous daily commutes, the shortest of which averages about 30 minutes each way, can easily take the inactivity toll up to 12 or even 14 hours a day.
What’s more, this cycle is self-perpetuating. Our sheer mental and physical exhaustion feed into one another, so that we’re too tired to work out, but not working out compounds the problem.
It’s no wonder weight-loss consistently ranks as the #1 new year’s resolution each time this season comes to a close.
If you’re determined once and for all that this will be the year to shed your extra lbs and make a change, consider these strategies to help turn your fitness goal into a reality.
5 Strategies for Sticking to Fitness Goals
- Use an app to help you count calories and monitor your activity level. Check out Forbes’ list of top weight loss apps that help you with everything from eating local to maximizing your workouts.
- Get a workout buddy. Try buddying up with someone you already see on a daily basis. These can be coworkers or even members of your own family. Tip: children can be especially good workout partners due to their seemingly endless supply of energy!
- Find an activity that doesn’t feel like working out. Whether it’s something that brings you back to your childhood, like trampoline fitness, dancing, or horseback riding, or whether you find a set of arm and ankle weights to wear as you do household chores, in the beginning, it can be beneficial to find simple ways to trick your body into burning fat and building muscle.
- Write down your goals. Sounds like a simple, inconsequential first step, but the mere act of putting pen to paper helps your brain process it differently and adds an extra layer of commitment. Put it somewhere you can see it every day for added reinforcement. For help getting organized, see Lulu Lemon’s goal-setting tips and worksheets.
- Keep a journal of your progress. Staying patient and positive as you embark on your goal can seem daunting, especially when the scale isn’t reflecting all your hard work. However, progress can be measured in any number of ways. For instance, are you experiencing elevated moods, less fatigue, and decrease stress levels? Even if that magical number hasn’t shifted down as quickly as you’d hoped, there are plenty of other health benefits that can count for just as much!
In the end, less than a quarter of people who set a new year’s weight loss keep it up after six months. However, if you’re determined to prove that you’re more than merely a statistic, the above strategies can aid and abide you.
Be sure and check out our list of trampoline fitness courses if you, like us, are keen on the sound of burning up to 1,300 calories in a single class, and continuing to bolster your metabolism and singe calories for up to 48 hours after a class– aka after-burn.
For now, happy holidays, and here’s to a new year and a new you!
