Fit for life: Did you already break your resolutions?

Features

Discussion

February 6, 2013

Fit for life: Did you already break your resolutions?

-- Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Wed Feb 06, 2013, 12:52 PM EST

Niagara Gazette — For the regular gym goers, the end of December and into early February are usually times of frustration as new faces make the gym more crowded than two-for-one drink night at the local college bar. However, these same regular gym goers also realize that within a few weeks from now, most of the newbies will have stopped going, their New Year’s Resolutions becoming nothing more than false promises and forgotten motivation.

If you hope to keep the promises you’ve made to yourself on Dec. 31, here are a few tips to help keep you from being another one of those resolution-making letdowns. Who knows, these tips might even help you to become one of those gym “regulars” that you promised yourself you would become!

1. Get a gym partner. This will allow you to share ideas, tips and healthy recipes, while also helping with your form and general motivation. If you don’t have a partner, and when you are tired, hungry, ticked off at your boss/spouse or just don’t feel like going, it is easier to cancel your own plans, but not so easy to cancel someone else’s plans. Having a partner relying on you will increase your chances of success.

2. Evaluate the people you associate with. The saying “you are or will become, the average of the five people you associate with the most” in my experience and in observing others, is true. If you hang out with people who eat pizza and hit happy hour four times a week, you’ll probably do the same.

At some point you need to make some changes and be selfish. If you’ve neglected yourself for the past 5, 10, or 15 years, you are going to have to put the time in to reverse that. How do you find the right person or people to help you? For starters, I would suggest eliminating or minimizing your time with negative people or energy vampires. Then, I would try to find a gym or online community that offers support in your endeavor.

3. Don’t rely strictly on visuals. If you lift weights, you will start to replace body fat (stored energy) with lean muscle. Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. If you are gaining weight and don’t want to, you are doing something wrong. In this case, it’s most likely eating too much and moving too little. Stay the course.

4. Have a plan. Do weights before cardio. Muscles burn more calories throughout the day. The only way to gain muscle is to lift weights. Additional benefits of weight training are increased bone density, increased strength, better posture, prevention of disease, emotional benefits, stress relief, increased self esteem, increased sex drive and about 117 others.

5. Live your life proactively. “Memento Mori” translated from Latin means “remember your mortality.” Some may think this is morbid, but the truth is, you have a finite time to live. Make every day count.

Christopher R. Tybor is the owner of ChrisFit Personal Training. He can be reached at www.chrisfit.net or by calling 818-0078.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Features

TOM'S CORNER: The Gazette has partnered with local automotive expert Tom Torbjornsen to publish his weekly national column. Tom's Corner will appear in Thursday's editions.
May 23, 2013 1 Photo
Underwater craft helps Great Lakes researchers collect shoreline data A couple of scientists looking to learn all they can about Lake Ontario visited the beach near the Oak Orchard Creek Lighthouse on Saturday morning. Before they left, they had gathered data using an AUV -- autonomous underwater vehicle.
May 20, 2013 1 Photo
TOM'S CORNER: A little bit of automotive alchemy The Gazette has partnered with local automotive expert Tom Torbjornsen to publish his weekly national column. Tom's Corner will appear in Thursday's editions.
May 16, 2013 1 Photo
New monument revealed in memory of State Trooper Kevin Dobson A new monument in memory of New York State Trooper Kevin Dobson was revealed Wednesday morning during a ceremony that family, friends and dozens of colleagues attended.
May 15, 2013 4 Photos
Seven ladies create Antique to Chic Imagine a business where planning meetings include white wine and laughter, and the partners go shopping together and then sell their finds in a funky, chic storefront to people who adore the treasures they've collected.
May 13, 2013 4 Photos
Saturday's Niagara University graduation a family affair When Aaron Sydor receives his undergraduate diploma on Saturday afternoon, his mother, Kathy, was waiting at the other side of the stage to congratulate him. Instead, she was right behind him, joining her son as a member of the Niagara University Class of 2013.
May 11, 2013 3 Photos
TOM’S CORNER: Quiet, it’s a secret ... I’m buying a car
Why it is that car sales people experience what seems to be the worse treatment of professional sales people in the world of business?

May 10, 2013 1 Photo
East about to be overrun by billions of cicadas
Any day now, billions of cicadas with bulging red eyes will crawl out of the earth after 17 years underground and overrun the East Coast. The insects will arrive in such numbers that people from North Carolina to Connecticut will be outnumbered roughly 600-to-1. Maybe more.

May 6, 2013 1 Photo
TOM'S CORNER: How do you say the name of that car? The Gazette has partnered with local automotive expert Tom Torbjornsen to publish his weekly national column. Tom's Corner will appear in Thursday's editions.
May 2, 2013 1 Photo
Control yourself: Biofeedback helps ease migraine pain and more People who suffer from problems such as migraines and hypertension now have a new option to help control their symptoms thanks to the efforts of Jim Abbondanza, a psychology professor from Lewiston.
April 25, 2013 4 Photos
More Features Headlines

Features

Search Results

Discussion

Fit for life: Did you already break your resolutions?

Site Map

Contact Us