New year resolutions ... why wait?

AS we enter the festive period we know there are going to be lots of parties, social events and situations where food and drink choices will play havoc with our waistlines. Then in a few days time, many will make the New Year resolution to get fitter, healthier and to try and make up for the over-indulgence of the previous weeks.
My question is: why wait? Having had over eight years of experience in the health and fitness industry and working in numerous facilities, I know that those who start their fitness regimes before January are more likely to stick to their new lifestyle because they aren’t putting anything off. They are also able to get in some much-needed damage control over the festive period by burning calories prior to consuming more. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for turning over a new leaf in January and always encourage those seeking to make a healthy lifestyle change. However I’m of the school of thought that says why put off till tomorrow what you can achieve today. Don’t forget that during the festive period lots of people have holidays and time off, whereas in January they will be back at work.
During that time off it makes perfect sense to start your new fitness regime as you are more likely to have the opportunity to complete a workout without the stresses of work getting in the way. Remember also that most gyms will be open over the Christmas period, perhaps only shutting for one or two days. That means there will be plenty of opportunity to start and once you get the ball rolling it will be easier to maintain, especially if you plan around any potential issues that can get in the way.
The right resolution for you
Now I want you to get a notepad and pen and jot down some things. First off I’d like you to write down what you want to achieve by exercising. The majority of people might be tempted to write “lose weight” and this is a good place to start, but I want you to delve deeper.
Whatever your goal you have set, write down – on the next line – why you want to achieve this goal.
Taking the losing weight example, this could be because of a family event or holiday coming up next year, for instance. Also have a think about the reasons that you feel you need to lose weight – such as long periods of sedentary activity, not eating as healthily as you could, lack of training etc.
Once you have that down, have a think about all the factors that could get in the way of you exercising or eating healthier, now or in the New Year, to reach your goals. Perhaps family or work commitments might get in the way. Then try to come up with two or three solutions to each one, for example if you want to train after work but have to pick up the children from school or nursery, you could get up 30 minutes earlier to get your workout in at a local gym or even do a home workout before the children are out of bed.
Now, if eating healthy is a problem for you as you’re always in a rush and usually grab your food on the go, then your contingencies could be batch-preparing food, perhaps on a Sunday evening. For instance if you were oven-cooking two chicken breasts for you and your partner’s evening meal, why not cook four to six, and place in a food container with a few vegetables for some quick, healthy lunches over the next few days.
The more reasons you can come up with that might inhibit you from sticking to your resolutions, the more you can create solutions and plan around them so they don’t get in the way. The main thing is that you take into account the issues that may cause you to not exercise or stick to eating healthily and plan contingencies. If you have thought about these prior to making that resolution then you are guaranteed for success. Here, I have put together a great home workout that you can do over the festive period to start your resolutions off the way you mean to go on.