Dear Resolutioners:

Congratulations on establishing new health and fitness goals for 2014! You’re about a week in . . .how is it going? Recently my spin instructor told our class to prepare for the upcoming onslaught of “resolutioners” but not to worry… the vast majority wouldn’t last six weeks. That got me thinking about why people lose sight of their fitness goals this time of year, and what can be done to improve the success rate. Fortunately, there are easy tools to help you stick to your fitness resolutions and they are just a click away.

A simple Google or App Store search will help you identify any number of fitness related apps, from the very simple to the more complex. The most important factor to consider when vetting an app is your personal fitness goal: losing weight, toning up, increasing endurance etc. A calorie counting app may not be the best tool if your goal is to run a marathon. It may take time for you to properly evaluate the offerings of these apps, but finding the right one for you will be well worth it.

Regardless of the app you select, your compliance will obviously be the key to your success. I have found that keeping it simple, VERY simple, has made compliance easier. Last summer a girlfriend told me about the app My Fitness Pal, and at the risk of sounding dramatic… it changed my life. It is a simple calorie and exercise diary, set up with your specific weight loss goal in mind. Log your current status and goal, and the app provides the per diem calorie intake needed to reach that goal. You simply catalog your meals and exercise. This app includes most packaged food and restaurant meals out there, everything from your Odwalla protein shake to a McDonald’s Big Mac, so you know your intake exactly.

Calories are credited back for cardiovascular exercise. It is a simple, easy way to monitor your progress and adjust your habits accordingly. I not only hit my goal on my schedule, but I have also maintained my weight by continuing my diary. Weight Watchers also recently launched the app Simple Start, designed to help members stay on track through meal suggestions, reminders and motivation.

Beyond the apps, there are more sophisticated tools to help you meet your goals. FitBit, Nike FuelBand and Jawbone UP are wearable bracelets that connect to your smartphone, monitoring your physical activity and calorie expenditure. They have various features, including sleep monitoring and real-time progression tracking. They’ll run you over $100 or so, depending on how fancy you go, but overall these bracelets provide numerous options in measuring your progress. Fitbit also offers a scale with mobile connectivity, integrating its data with other related touch points.

A few tips to help you on your way:

• Update your digital diary as soon as you complete a meal or workout. It will be second nature before you know it, and you aren’t trying to remember how long you were on the treadmill or what you ordered from Starbucks.

• Make it a family/friend affair. There are only so many hours in the day to spread between work, friends, family and fitness. I take a boxing class once a week with my family, and my girlfriends and I meet for spin. Not only are we spending time together, we are also sticking to our fitness routines. Seek out physical activities that are kid-friendly or that your friends may find appealing.

• Excessive fitness-related social sharing is a pretty good way to annoy or alienate your friends and followers. Maybe just let the pics of the new and improved you do the talking.

• Take note of how your clothes fit, and how that fit changes. Numbers on a scale are one thing, but appreciating the changes taking place in your body and its impact on how you look and feel is an excellent maintenance strategy. Soon all your jeans will be your skinny jeans.

• If what you are doing isn’t working… change it! Take a new class, download a new app, consider a personal trainer. The important thing is to achieve your goals in a healthy, sustainable way. My regular workouts were fine and I was maintaining, but when I introduced boxing to my routine, my muscle tone improved significantly. Changing up my workouts proved to be the catalyst.

• Learn from others. You are not the first person to go down this path; find blogs, sites and fitness professionals to guide and motivate you along the way. Their expertise will improve your odds, and finding commonality with others can help keep you going.

And hey, it’s OK to be a resolutioner! Recognizing room for improvement and taking action is a good thing! The only difference between a gym regular and a resolutioner is commitment. Lifestyle changes do not happen overnight, and you don’t have to do it alone. Take advantage of the many tools and apps designed to help you stay on track. Be patient with yourself as you make change and celebrate the small victories along the way.

I’ll tell my spin instructor she can still expect you in class come March.

Posted on 1/7/2014

Written by Rachel Lewis

Rachel Lewis is a senior strategist for a full service, global digital performance agency. For more than seven years, she has helped some of the world’s largest luxury brands and retailers achieve their digital goals. Prior to her marketing career, Rachel worked as a television news producer for ABC and NBC affiliates in Texas. She is a proud alumna of Baylor University, and received her graduate degree in Communication Studies at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Her interests include pink, Robert Griffin III, macaroons, traveling and 80’s pop. Perhaps more impressively, she can cure hiccups without fail. Follow her on Twitter @rachellynell.

Comments

comments