Weight Loss and New Years’ Resolutions Part 1
By: Dr. Adrian Granite
Happy New Year! It’s that time of the year again when everyone begins their resolutions. Being in the health field, one of the most popular resolutions that I hear about is wanting to lose weight. This is a great goal to have, if you need to shed a few pounds from those holiday sweets. So what does everyone do to begin? They sign up for the discounted year membership at a local gym. January is by far the most crowded month. With their $99 memberships it is easy to see why. This makes it very annoying to go, especially at the peak times, since every piece of equipment is taken. By the time February and March come around, you’ll start to notice there is some more space. What happened? Many of the resolutions have been given up on.
Here are some tips on how to keep you on track:
1. The most important of all, in my opinion, is to make your resolution more specific. Losing weight is very generic and isn’t personal to you. Try to think of why you want to lose weight. Is it to lower your triglycerides or blood glucose? Is it because your clothes aren’t fitting right? Is it because you have realized that you aren’t able to do the things you used to enjoy? Losing weight does not necessarily make you a healthier person. Make your goal more specific and include achievable timelines.
2. Find an exercise routine that is fun. We’ve all hopped on the treadmill and set it to whatever speed for 30 minutes while watching some pointless reality show. That gets old very quick. Try something new this year. It is not a secret that my wife and I workout at a local CrossFit box. It works very well for us. We push each other to go if one of us is “too busy” that day. The workout is already written for us. The classes are an hour long so you know how much time to allot to the gym that day. We have great camaraderie at our box and your coaches and classmates will notice if you haven’t been around. You’ll probably even get a message from someone. Now, I’m not saying that you have to join a CrossFit, but there are many other gyms that offer small group training classes, which offer the same atmosphere. If you’re not a group person, try signing up for personal 1 on 1 training. Trying something new will help you stay on track and get the results you are looking for.
Stayed tuned for the second part of this post!
