The primary cause of difficulty in keeping up with New Year’s resolutions isn’t laziness or hypocrisy, as many are led to believe. The underlying cause has much more to do with starting out with highly unrealistic expectations in mind fueled by the enthusiasm which is customary to every new beginning. And because most of these goals have to do with fitness, it’s even easier to understand why.

5 Tips to Help You Keep Your Fitness Resolutions

Fortunately, there is a rather simple way to ensure that you don’t give up on your fitness resolutions and finally shed those pesky extra pounds. Here are five ways to accomplish that.

Choose an Appropriate Diet

What you eat is essential for keeping your fitness resolutions. Depending on what activity you wish to pursue to meet your goals, your daily dishes will vary. For example, the cruise control diet is a good one for those of us who have a year of intense physical exercise before them because it’s centered around getting plenty of protein.

However, there are plenty others which you can try. If you need help with this, paying a nutritionist a visit is a viable option. This was what helped me get on the right track at the beginning of last year, and I haven’t looked back since. Together with them, you will surely choose the best meal plan to suit your needs.

Set Exact Dates for Milestones

Any well-organized workout plan needs to have specific milestones that you need to reach. And the best way to ensure that you get to them in a timely fashion is by attaching particular dates to them. This will keep you motivated even when you don’t feel like it, which is probably beneficial for your progress.

For example, let’s say you began your fitness journey on January 5th. Focusing on losing five pounds or exercising a specific set of muscles come February 5th is a realistic expectation for most people, and it is one that will support you through any challenge. Thus, coming up with a plan complete with time pointers is an excellent way to go.

Have Realistic Expectations

Coming up with unrealistic goals is one of the main reasons why people have a hard time sticking to their New Year’s resolutions past January. This is why having realistic expectations of what you can and cannot do is essential. While it’s perfectly reasonable to feel like a superhero that just got fresh new powers during this period, take a step back and think things through rationally.

What are your current skills? What is the most natural learning curve you can undergo? If you’re unable to judge yourself objectively, ask a friend, partner or family member for help. This is what helped me in the past, and it will surely help you as well as long as you choose someone whose opinion you trust wholeheartedly.

Don’t Work Out Alone

It’s no secret that us humans are social beings, so it’s not surprising that our propensity for interaction-based motivation extends to the gym as well. Research on the topic has shown that working out in the presence of others motivates us to stick to a predefined schedule and achieve better results.

In my case, joining a gym together with my significant other was a significant game changer. With them there, I managed to stay motivated towards my goals until the very end, which is precisely what you need to do as well. And it’s not mandatory to exercise with your romantic partner. You can bring a friend, or even join a class and surround yourself with like-minded strangers.

Never Give Up on Your Goals

According to Tim Herrera, an editor for the New York Times, an essential aspect of setting successful resolutions for the new year ahead is to accept that you are going to make mistakes. The other shoe is bound to drop sooner or later, so the important thing is to move on when it finally happens.

When I felt like giving up, I remembered why I had set these fitness goals in the first place. Because they were realistic ones from the beginning, I quickly managed to pinpoint what areas of my life reaching them would improve, and just like that I felt motivated once more. So, to prevent yourself from calling it quits too early in the game, remember that you are doing this to improve your well-being.