4 Ways to Stick to your Fitness Resolution in 2013

So, you?ve consumed about enough pumpkin pie and eggnog to feed the NFC and haven?t exercised in over a week thanks to an endless barrage of cousins and last-minute trips to pick up presents for your third-cousins you don?t even know. There?s no time like now to start thinking about your 2013 fitness resolution.

Do it right

New Year?s resolutions are notoriously hard to stick to, especially ones that involve working out regularly and avoiding cheese fries on a daily basis. Take the right steps, however, and you?ll actually have a shot at that six-pack you?ve been dreaming of or be able to do more than five damn push-ups.

Follow a Plan/Keep a Log

Whether you?re looking to bulk up or slim down, you?re going to have a hard time getting there if you go in blind. Get started off on the right foot by following a routine that suits your current fitness level and has been actually shown to get results. For example, if you?re looking for a killer cardio workout, you might consider taking up swimming. On the other hand, if you want to get jacked, you?ll probably want to go with a rock-solid weightlifting routine. Once you settle on a plan, be sure to keep an accurate log to track your progress. It?ll help you make adjustments and will keep you on a set path, making your fitness routine less stressful and more successful.

Set Realistic Expectations

You?re not going to get in amazing shape overnight or become a world-class bodybuilder by spring, so stop dreaming. A major problem many resolutioners run into is setting unrealistic expectations. You might want to lose 25 pounds by February, but that?s neither realistic nor healthy. If you don?t meet said expectations by the time you desire, you?re likely to get discouraged and quit. Keep yourself on the path toward success by setting a goal you can actually achieve without hurting yourself or defying all logic and laws of physics.

Believe in Yourself

Okay, so you?ve chosen a solid fitness routine and have set relatively realistic expectations for yourself. None of it means a damn if you go in with the wrong attitude. Whether you?re stick-thin or pudgy, you do have what it takes to get in amazing shape; you?ve just got to believe it can happen. Forget about what hasn?t worked before or how crummy you feel about the shape you?re in. Think beyond your current position. It?s hard, but it?ll help and you?ll be glad you did when you?re ripped and flaunting your body by next New Year?s eve.

Manage Your Time

You?ve got 365 days to transform your body, but time-consuming stuff like a job, girlfriend, dentist appointments, and trimming your nose hair to deal with. If you hope to become a fitness guru, you?ve got to be a time management expert. You?ll never meet your fitness goals if you don?t pencil in cardio or weightlifting in-between the junk that takes up most of your day. Figure out your schedule and make fitness a priority (i.e. hitting the gym trumps Xbox 360, sorry.)