If you find yourself walking into February feeling a little defeated, I encourage you to not give up on your objectives. By using the following tips, you can focus on setting goals for long-term and sustainable behavior change, making the new year a successful one.

Start Small

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you start trying to make big jumps from your current lifestyle to where you would like to be. Instead of trying to do too much too soon, start by setting small specific, measurable, and achievable goals. Once you have accomplished those goals consistently, your “success momentum” can help to catapult you to the next step. Over time, you’ll slowly build up to larger goals.

Follow a Plan

Have a plan that outlines what you need to do and the steps you need to take. Write down your plan and review it regularly, and find ways to “celebrate” each time you accomplish each step regardless of how big or small they may seem. For some, something as simple as crossing the step off of a list or checking a box can provide a sense of satisfaction and pride. Keeping yourself accountable and motivated can and should be a fun part of the process.

Find a Support System

It can be difficult to stay on track with your goals if you’re feeling alone, especially if you get stuck and/or are feeling unmotivated. This is where having a support system — whether it’s a friend, family member, a coach, or online community– really comes in handy. Ideally, this person/community will be someone you jive well with, who can help you refocus on your vision, and who can celebrate with you along the way. (To learn more about our coaches at Pike Fitness, feel free to peruse our trainer bios here.)

Expect Obstacles Ahead of Time

Challenges are bound to pop up every so often, so plan for them ahead of time. Consider “good”, “better”, and “best”, case scenarios, and when bigger speed bumps get in your way, learn from your mistakes and stay focused about the progress you’ve already made. Even when situations arise that you can’t avoid or plan ahead for, remember that each “mistake” is a learning opportunity that will help you prepare for the next time you’re in a similar situation or circumstance.

Stay Positive

It can be easy to give up when things get tough. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you slip up. One of my old mentors used to say “if one of your tires goes flat, you wouldn’t slash the other three tires too.” It makes sense, yet so many people tend to throw in the towel over the smallest inconveniences. If something doesn’t go as planned, replace your metaphorical tire as quickly as possible and get back on the road.

Though behavior change is a process, following these tips can help you create change that can last for months, years, or better yet, for the rest of your life. It’s important to remember that lasting change takes time, so manage your expectations and don’t give up if you don’t see immediate results. With some dedication, perseverance, and intentional planning, you can reach your goals.

If you’d like to speak with one of our trainers to strategize and get started on your health and fitness goals, click here to schedule a free consultation.

For further reading:

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, PhD

For the rest of us, here are the three keys to winning the resolution game:

1) Start gradually, and ease into a routine

One of the best ways to disappoint yourself with a new year’s resolution, is to make one that’s overly ambitious and unrealistic resolution. We’ve all done it. “This year, I’m really going to do it. I’m going to watch everything I eat, cut out junk food, run, and hit the gym 5 days a week!” While setting big goals can be fine for some, many of us need to stay grounded in order to succeed. Our natural tendency is to lean toward an “all-or-nothing” mentality. Even though we start with the best intentions, as soon as we slip up even a little it feels like we’ve failed, and next thing you know all of our goals go out the window.

What’s the solution? Always ease into training gradually. Even if you used to be a serious athlete, take an honest look at what you have been doing over the last couple months. Try adding just 1-2 training days a week to your current schedule. This change is manageable, and not at all overwhelming. As you become comfortable with the routine, try adding one more day. Eventually, exercise will become a natural habit, and your progress will multiply over time. The key here is to be patient and enjoy the process.

2) Make SMART goals

SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. An example of a SMART goal looks like this: “I’m going to drop from a size 36, to size 32 by April 1st.” Notice that this meets all of the criteria for a SMART goal listed above. Once you have made your goal, lay out an action plan to guide your success: “To reach my goal, I’m going to walk 30 minutes a day on my lunch breaks, and do full body circuit training for 30 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” Making clear, actionable plans will help you stay on track. Remember to write down your goal, and look at it often as you’re training. This is helpful when you start to lose motivation. It is especially helpful to set a completion date that has emotional significance to you. You might try a birthday, an anniversary, a vacation, or any occasion that you want to look or feel your best for.

3) Don’t be afraid to seek help

Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to get after a new years resolution, especially if working out is something you haven’t done in a while. Going it alone is especially challenging, so one of the best ways to ensure success is to find a support network. Talk to your friends, family, or co-workers about joining a gym or starting a walking group. If you are looking for something a bit more structured, find a weekly group exercise class or seek the help of a certified personal trainer. When you know somebody is there to back you up, training feels like less of a chore, and becomes something you really look forward to.

A New Year’s Resolution doesn’t have to be hard. Remember that big change is the accumulation of small change over time. Adding even a little exercise to what you’re doing now is a step in the right direction. Keep to your resolve, and we know you’ll see amazing results.

Genetics tend to be one of the biggest contributing factors in any individual’s metabolic rate, but if yours is slow, don’t worry; there is still a lot of room to rev it up. Follow these simple hacks, and you’ll start burning some extra calories in no time.

1. Move More

One of the most simple and effective ways to boost your metabolism is to start moving more. Exercise is the obvious example, but even something as small as fidgeting can help you burn a few hundred extra calories a day. A few hundred calories a day might add up to a pound a week, so the small things do matter. When it comes to more structured exercise, take a look at your current activity level. If you aren’t getting at least 30 minutes of meaningful activity on all or most days of the week, it’s time to add some more exercise to your life. Even something as simple as going for a walk will help you tip the scale in your favor. The harder you work, the more energy you’ll need to burn to sustain the activity, so challenging workouts are definitely ideal. Just be careful not to overdo it on the volume, duration, or frequency of training, because that can lead to it’s own problems.

2. Eat Breakfast Early

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but to those of us who want to speed up our metabolism, a good breakfast is paramount. When you’re in a fasted state, your body will try its best to stay as efficient as possible; ie you won’t burn a lot of calories. This is likely a defense mechanism to prevent us from using all of our energy up and dying in times of famine. Although it’s unlikely that you will have to go weeks without food, when you get up and start doing things without eating first, your metabolism will go into slo-mo. The only defense, is to eat something right away, especially if you plan on exercising. Waking up and eating isn’t always easy, but if you can get at least something into your belly, a banana, an apple, anything; it will kick start your metabolism for the rest of the day.

3. Build Some Lean Mass

When I’m working with a client who wants to burn some extra fat, this is my go to strategy for long term results. Although it takes a little more time than the crash diets they may be used to, adding some extra muscle mass will rev up the metabolism for years to come. Muscle tissue is much more metabolically active than adipose (fatty) tissue, and requires a lot of energy to maintain. The conundrum here is that to build muscle, you usually need to eat more (in addition to doing regular resistance training). Before you begin losing weight, you’ll likely start gaining a bit first. This is where patience and dedication comes in. When you see the numbers on the scale go up, just know that you’re doing the right thing. Before long, you’ll start losing inches, looking great, and feeling better. Remember! In order to build lean mass, you need to train regularly in addition to eating more. Don’t think you can just go buck wild on a box of Oreos and expect to get lean.

4. Train at a High Intensity

One of the most common pitfalls I see in peoples’ training regimens is that they chronically train at a low intensity. People will often spend an hour or longer doing low intensity cardio, and it get’s them nowhere with their fitness goals. While training like this might be great for cardiovascular health, it will keep you running in circles if you’re trying to burn fat. In fact, long bouts of low intensity cardio will make your body much more efficient with it’s energy usage, and can actually slow down your metabolism. Unless you’re training for an endurance event, try capping your aerobic workouts at around 30 minutes. Work close to the highest capacity you can maintain for the duration of your workout. As a test, try holding a conversation with somebody (or talk aloud to yourself) during your next cardio session. If you can get out more than a couple words without having to take a breath, you need to step it up. You can also try pace tempo training or intervals to mix it up. High intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to help preserve muscle mass, and will give your metabolism a serious boost.

5. Eat Before and After Each Training Session

The philosophy behind this one is very similar to that of eating breakfast. Before you start a workout, you should be fueled up and ready to meet the energy demand of your training session. If you fall into an calorie deficit, your workout will likely suffer as you begin feeling tired and sluggish. Maintaining a state of high energy expenditure while in a caloric deficit will cause your body to start breaking down protein and converting it to glucose. This is bad news for your metabolism. Not only will you lose muscle mass, but you will hold onto fat as well. Remember, you want to eat to perform your best. Before your next training session, eat a balanced meal containing a good ratio of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. After you finish, eat a snack or meal containing protein and carbohydrate to repair the muscle damage and replenish muscle glycogen. Avoid eating too much fat for the first hour after a workout as it will slow protein absorption.

Using these 5 simple hacks, you should be able to increase the amount of energy you use on a daily basis, and start burning some serious fat. Remember; eat well, train hard, and you’ll reach your goal in no time.