How to Stick to Your New Year's Resolutions.

It's that time of the year again. The holiday ornaments have come down and the pounds have gone up. And business is booming for gyms and personal trainers.

At least until February.

And therein lies the rub, as The Bard wrote. So, how do we circumnavigate this conundrum? When the days drag on, and energy levels and motivation waxes and wanes, how do people stay on course? In my two decades as a certified personal trainer, I've found that these practical and achievable steps will help you maintain your fitness goals — long after January has come and gone.

1) Don't make fitness about a number on the scale.

Let's address the proverbial elephant in the room first. I realize this advice is counterintuitive and it may not win me any converts/new clients. But it's the truth. There's an important caveat here. If you suffer from clinical obesity, weight loss is more crucial and other interventions may be more relevant. Conversely, if you want to lose another "five or ten pounds," you'd be better off focusing on less ephemeral goals.(1) But, for the many, many people that want to lose the extra padding around the middle, this article pertains to you.

Let's say your magic number is 33 pounds. I have two questions. First of all, how did you arrive at that number? Your ex-boyfriend's next door neighbor who's really into nutrition? Are they a certified nutritionist? Is that really the number that's the optimal weight for you? Or, perhaps it's the BMI — a metric that has its own problems. https://beneath-the-skin.ghost.io/the-astronomers-folly-the-twisted-history-of-the-bmi/

The second problem with using the scale as the ultimate barometer of fitness is that weight loss shouldn't be the primary motivation for getting in shape. Being fit is great for your mental state, helps you move better, and prevents injuries. There's an endless list to the benefits of getting physical fit. But weight (fat) loss is best achieved in the kitchen. https://beneath-the-skin.ghost.io/i-want-to-lose-weight-should-i-focus-on-diet-or-exercise/

Lastly, let's say you lose 23 pounds and you plateau. Then what? Have you failed? Are you going to throw in the towel and cut your losses? This is exactly the point where people become frustrated and upset and lose their motivation. The best way to prevent this scenario is not making fitness about a number on a scale in the first place.

2) Sit less.

I could also call this section "move more." They're interchangeable. When people find out I'm a personal trainer and ask me how to get fit, this is the first thing I tell them. It's not really a satisfying answer for many people, but, again, it's a very practical and achievable recipe for success. I interviewed my friend and long-term client Sukhendu on this very topic. His recipe for long-term fitness involved switching to a stand-up desk and taking the stairs at work every day. https://beneath-the-skin.ghost.io/cracking-the-code-volume-three-the-king-of-exercise-snacking-talks-about-overcoming-self-doubt-surviving-the-slot-canyon-and-takin/

A great way to approach this topic is through "exercise snacking" — breaking up your work day by doing some body weight squats, push-ups, or taking the stairs. https://beneath-the-skin.ghost.io/the-perfect-exercise-snack-heres-a-hint-its-not-chewable-2/

3) Focus on the "fitness table."

I'll have a much more in-depth article on this shortly, but the short version is that fitness is a table consisting of four legs: strength, cardio, balance, and flexibility. Each of these four ingredients are essential. If you're missing one leg of the table....your fitness is going to be wobbly.

4) Work out with friends.

I train a group of guys that one member calls "The League of Distinguished Gentlemen." In reality, we're a bunch of middle-aged men. (Our oldest member is 74 and fitter than most 25 year-olds.) Many of the group members have known each other for two decades, and some of them have been training together for almost a decade. It's a tight-knit group, and we all look forward to seeing each other a few times a week. If one member falls off the fitness train, the group has carte blanche to razz them. Yes, fitness is the main goal, but friendship is the way we maintain it. I like to think of it as a barbershop with sweat.

Friends give you camaraderie, support, and, perhaps most importantly, accountability. If you find yourself lacking the motivation to stick with your fitness goals, working out with friends is a practical and achievable recipe for success. And science backs me up. (1)

5) Hire a personal trainer.

Obviously, there's some self-promotion here. After all, that's my job. But the trainer doesn't have to be me — hiring any trainer is a great way to stay accountable. Maybe the best way. If you're looking for trainer, there's two primary things you need to consider: (1) knowledge and (2) chemistry.

In an era where we're saturated with social media fitness influencers, it's hard to know where to turn for advice. A very simple way is to ask for credentials. Taking your shirt off on Instagram or YouTube doesn't equate to expertise. I got certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (I have about six certifications through them) and it took me a whole year to study for my test. I'm proud of my certification, and even prouder of the fact that I've had almost all my clients for well over a decade.

Which is a good segue into my second point. The biggest part of being a personal trainer (assuming you have the proper credentials) is building rapport: listening to what the client wants to achieve, understanding their journey, and guiding them along the path to better health. Put differently, a senior citizen dealing with mobility issues shouldn't approach a trainer who specializes in powerlifting and bodybuilding. Find someone who understands you, your needs, and your goals.

These five steps are not a panacea, of course. Fitness is hard. Our society is oriented toward inactivity. Being fit actually entails going against the norm. But it can be done. Following the steps above will give you an excellent — and sustainable — foundation.

Sources and notes:

(1) The average person fluctuates in weight roughly five pounds per day.

(2) Julie Corliss (09/01/2024) "Need more inspiration to exercise? Don't go it alone." Harvard Heart Letter

Joshua Brandt is an Oakland based personal trainer. He can be reached at joshua@joshuabrandtpt.com or (415) 412-7339. 

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