Nine tips to stay focused on your fitness goals in 2020

If you find yourself going off track on your New Year’s workout resolution in the first month itself, chart a plan that tells you what you aim to achieve by the end of the year. You can help yourself by asking a few questions – Why am I working out? What is my final goal? How do I work towards that goal? Once you have your set goal, it would be easier to motivate yourself towards achieving what you set out to do.

If you want to stay motivated to work out more, you need to ensure you fuel up as well. Do not try to lose weight by avoiding food – that would backfire as you may end up indulging on unhealthy food to overcome cravings. Focus on the quality of the food that you take in instead of the quantity. Have a well-balanced meal which includes fiber and healthy fats which will ensure you are satiated the whole day. Image credit: Image by Bernadette Wurzinger from Pixabay

Sometimes all you need is a bit of motivation – and the right workout buddy or partner could prove to be just that. A Stanford University study revealed that getting a call from your workout buddy every two weeks could help boost the amount of exercise you do by 78 per cent. A phone call or even a voice recording to find out how much exercise you have done in the past week, what you plan to do in the coming week and exercises you can add on, has shown to motivate people to continue with their workouts. Further, while working out together can be fun, it could also get you to push yourself to compete against your buddy. Image credit: Image by karabulakastan from Pixabay

Your personal trainer will be your coach guiding you through your workout sessions and motivating you to push harder. Your PT can plan your workout schedules depending on your goals, and ensure that you work towards meeting them. Also, the fact that you have to pay money for your PT will make sure that you get up from your couch and hit the gym. Image credit: Image by Tanja Shaw from Pixabay

Avoid setting too many goals as that would make you feel like a failure in case you are not able to achieve them – if your goal is to hit 10,000 steps every day, start with a smaller number - say 5,000, and add on to it once you have achieved it. Also make your goals time bound – for example, rather than saying that you want to become leaner, make a measurable, timebound goal such as losing 1 kg in a week, and four kgs in a week.

If you have been focusing only on losing those kilos, the chances of you getting demotivated are higher. Rather, focus on the other benefits of exercising as well – a healthier, stronger and happier you – in order to stick to your workouts. Ensuring that you get quality sleep, stick to a healthy diet, focus on your mental wellbeing and cut down alcohol and tobacco, will help you achieve your goal of becoming a healthier person. Image credit: Image by Claudio_Scott from Pixabay

Just like how little kids or animals respond to treats, so do adults. Reward yourself each time you hit a milestone, or are even half way there. One way that experts suggest is by putting in some money – maybe Rs 100 for every time you work out. Once you hit a pre-decided amount, you can pamper yourself by getting a spa or massage treatment, or buying something that you have wanted to. You can also get yourself some fancy new gym gear to stay motivated.

Mark in a day in your busy calendar for some rest and relaxation – you can sleep in, catch a movie, catch up with your reading or simply do nothing at all. You can also make it a tech-free day – this will not only help you connect with your surroundings better, it will also improve your sleep, productivity levels, social life and make you a happier person. Image credit: Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay

Don't restrict yourself to working out in the gym. Go outdoors for a hike, a run or a simple walk in the garden every day. Sunlight is essential and the lack of it can cause Vitamin D deficiency, leading to all sorts of health problems such as bone and muscle weakness, fatigue, anxiety, hair loss and even depression.