New Year's resolution fitness plan that will change your life and it is one you can stick to

For many, gyms end up being collection agencies disguised as gyms. They depend on people not sticking with their resolutions.

· What good is an exercise program where you go three times a week and you go for two weeks or two months and never go again? This is the scenario that is replayed yearly by millions. Many are repeat offenders. The only thing that ends up lighter is their wallet. People waste thousands on programs they don’t stick to.

· Eleven percent of Americans are members of health clubs. There are more former members of health clubs that there are presently members.

· 30 percent of health club members do not renew their memberships.

· Of that 30 percent a small minority of them use the facility consistently over the course of a year

· You join and then they entice you with large packages of personal training sessions.

· The average stay with a personal trainer is less than six months.

· What happens if that personal trainer ends up not being a good fit? Some clubs have a no refund cancellation policy.

· If something is too good to be true then it will be too good to be true. Have the proper expectations of what exercise can accomplish.

Solutions:

Ø Engage in activities that you like to do. You are more likely to stick to it.

Ø Make gradual changes in eating and follow a simple plan for eating that you can keep (forever).

Ø Avoid overdoing it to avoid repetitive use injuries down the road. Ninety million dollars a year is spent in doctors’ office and emergency rooms for exercise and recreation related injuries.

Ø Consider high intensity interval training (HIIT) for strength as the one form of exercise to do that you might not like to do. This exercise will reverse more bio-markers of aging to a much greater degree than all other forms of exercise. No one is put in a nursing home for being out of breath.

Ø It will produce the most change in your body is less time AND if done correctly it gives you a measure of protection again injury. No amount of running will give you protection against knee injury but strength training can.

Ø Besides increasing strength, muscle and tone, HIIT will increase flexibility, resting metabolism, cardiovascular conditioning, and resistance to sickness and injury. An improper one or one where you try to do too much leads to injury, drudgery and a weaker immune system

Ø With strength training don’t see how much exercise you can withstand, see what is the least amount that will produce the most change. Get adequate recovery and improve each week. A program that takes minimal time and one where you improve each week will be one you can stick to. Only do the strength training portion of your fitness regime once or twice a week. As long as you are improving each week you will get to where you need to be. The improvement serves as motivation for you to stick to it. Such a workout that produces consistent change will be difficult but doable as the time commitment is small.

Ø A personal trainer can help you avoid the trial and error to find what works and avoid injuries.

Ø Don’t pay a personal trainer to stand by while you are doing exercise you can do on your own.

Ø A personal trainer should be able to get you through a workout you could not possible do on your own or they are really unnecessary. Your body makes positive adaptations as a form of self protection from overwhelming demands on the system. A good trainer can help you do that safely, efficiently and consistently.

Ø Six months into the new year you will look and feel better. You will be stronger, more flexible, have more energy, and be less prone to injury. You will engage in more vigorous activities longer and this too will redound positively to your health. You can have a higher quality of life and it does not involve hours in the gym each week.

Do exercise that gives you the highest marginal return for the least time spent - one that does not require hours in the gym. You can get more out of exercising less with HIIT. We use HIIT at both our locations - Austin Personal Trainers and New Orleans Personal Trainers. Better eating choices, an active lifestyle, and a little strength training is a program most people can stick to, and it can have profound effects on one's fitness and health.