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Staying Motivated

Millions of Americans resolved to get fit in 2005, but weeks into the New Year, few have made changes in their routine. For many of us, it's a fear of the gym that keeps us from getting in shape. For others, there's just no time. Most of us simply need a good helping of motivation.

Joni Hyde, personal trainer and author of WORKOUTS FOR WOMEN: CIRCUIT SHAPING (Hatherleigh Press, 2004) offers these tips for post-holiday motivation:

Build on your small successes. Start with small goals. Revel in the small accomplishments. They add up to great things.

Be realistic about your goals. It doesn't take a few weeks to get flabby or become overweight, so don't expect to see results over night.

Track your progress. Take your measurements so you'll be able to evaluate how your body is changing. Take a photo of yourself now so you'll have visual validation of the changes in your body over time.

Focus on why you are doing this. Exercise is an investment in your self. Don't focus on what you are giving up to become fit, focus on what you are gaining.

Use the power of visualization daily. Visualize yourself completing a great work-out and focus on how great you'll feel knowing you got the job done. Visualize yourself reaching your goals.

Know your limits and give your body adequate fuel. Fatigue, insomnia, irritability, and an elevated resting heart rate are signs of overdoing it or not getting proper nutrition!

Reward yourself when you obtain your goals.

Keep a workout log and a food journal. Track your progress by taking your measurements every 6 to 8 weeks.

For a quick, versatile workout that can be done in your home, try circuit training. Circuit training, which combines aerobic and strength training into a total body workout, is a unique exercise program that is rapidly gaining popularity. In circuit training, you move from one exercise to the next in a quick-paced progression, performing one set of each exercise. An entire circuit can take as little as 12 minutes, making it one of the quickest total body workouts out there! Substituting household items such as stairs, a chair, and canned food for gym equipment, circuit trainers can workout in the comfort of their own homes.

Circuit training evenly works the entire body. "Spot removal only works in the laundry, not on your body. No amount of crunches will reveal a well-toned abdomen if your body is storing extra body fat," warns Hyde. With circuit training, you progress through a variety of exercises, resulting in increased lean muscle mass and an overall reduction in that holiday fat. Provided, of course, you're done with the holiday feasting! A nutritious diet is a necessary component of any worthwhile workout routine.

This post-holiday season, there is hope for everyone to get healthy, no matter what the excuse. So before Valentine's Day chocolates can tempt you further from your resolutions, get yourself in gear to circuit train!

Next:

Incorporate seeds into your diet for better health

Weight-loss and maintenance tips

Steps 5: Make your goals personal

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Joni Hyde is a Certified Personal Trainer by the American Council on Exercise and a Certified Health/Fitness Instructor by the American College of Sports Medicine. In 1998, Joni founded www.WorkoutsForWomen.com to empower women by making fitness a part of their lives. She is a native of St. Petersburg, Florida.