Besides having a Christmas gift of a 30, 60 or 90 day trial gym membership burning a hole in your pocket, are there other good reasons to begin a fitness program January 1st? I hope you are giving this careful consideration. Your long term success is dependent upon being truly ready to start a program, understanding the lifestyle commitment involved, and that there is no better time...than the right time FOR YOU.
I have seen many fresh faces in gyms between January 1st through March over the course of many years. Then come April, it is back to business with all the old faces. It really bothers me that so many people annually embark on a fitness journey, only to abandon it inside of three months. How can we know so much, have access to so much information, and yet be so misguided? I have given this a lot of thought over the years, and I have come to believe that most people are very unconsciously led to do things they think they should be doing. Everyone knows they should be eating better, eating less and exercising more. The problem is that should be isn't enough, and it falls short every time.
The solution then lies somewhere within a way to make this about why I am going to do this (as specifically as possible), and also when is the right time for me to start. Lose the should be dialogue, and decide why starting this is important and why I am worth it. If you are being guilted into a fitness program thanks to a spouse or relative, or simply because it is the start of a new year, then you are not in it to win it. Don't do this to yourself another year.
Restrategize and forget about what everyone else is doing, and begin to formulate a plan. The plan should include some long term thinking around how you are going to build a fitness program into the rest of your life. This means daily choices and exercising every week, of every year. No more exercising for vacations and high school reunions. Do this because it is the most responsible thing you can do for your health. I read a quote some time ago that said "I don't find time to exercise, I make time to exercise." I love this, because it so eloquently states a winning strategy.
Beyond this, also consider that only one major lifestyle change at a time works best. In other words, if you just got married, changed jobs and moved, then maybe this isn't the best time for you to journey into a fitness program. Be smart, honest and true to yourself and put your own plan in place. Then, kick it off at the best time for you with a real sense of readiness. Set yourself up to be successful, because this is truly the best way to make many months over many years great, not just the first three months of the year.
