7 Ways to Plan NOW for a Fit New Year

OK, so you’ve been thinking about the New Year already. You’ve been dreaming of how THIS is going to be YOUR YEAR and how you will FINALLY commit to losing weight and getting fit ONCE AND FOR ALL. You are so convinced and focused, you even put your “Face in the Hole” in your favorite FaceInHole.com scenario to give you extra motivation. Maybe that was just me. Ha!

Problem is, it’s easy to get so bogged down in Christmas activities that we find the New Year suddenly smacking us in the face – and we’re NOT ready for it. If we aren’t prepared, we’ll be one of those people finally starting their New Year’s Resolutions in February. Don’t believe me? Trust me, I’ve signed up a LOT of gym members in my time and I can’t tell you how many people finally come in WEEKS after they had hoped – even despite their good intentions. 

I understand the hold up though – getting fit takes a certain amount of planning and time. If you want to succeed this year, you should really start planning for January now. This way, when January 1st is here you already have a plan and know exactly what to do to start it off with a big sweaty, calorie-burning BANG!

After Kelly Olexa challenged all us FitFluential bloggers to write 7 tips to get fit now, I decided I’d make “7 pFIT Tips” my theme this month and every week give you at least 7 more tips to help jump-start your new year.

7 ways to plan NOW for a successful and fit 2012:

1. Think Big – Whether you work or stay at home, everyone has a circle of people who would LOVE an opportunity to get fit with you. What if you could boost your chances of success and impact others too – with very little effort and a LOT of reward? Well, you can! Send out an email, post an interest list in the employee break room, send out an invitation on facebook and tweet to your peeps to see who would like to join you on your mission to get fit.

2. Rally the Troops – Many times gyms will give group rates or discounts. Round up a list of people interested in joining and organize a group rate or corporate wellness discount program. You NEVER know who will come out of the woodwork to participate!

3.  Choose a Program – There are so many great options out there. You can join a local boot camp program (which is perfect for kicking off the New Year) or even commit to taking a specific class that comes with your gym membership free. What program you choose really just depends on your budget and schedule – but there is something for everyone! Whether you choose to buy a program like p90x or do our BCx Boot Camp free at FitStudio.com – it is crucial you make a plan and commit to it.

4. Line Up Support – When it comes to support, you have NO EXCUSE anymore! Support is EVERYWHERE!! If you don’t have support in person, you can get it on facebook, twitter and in forums (like our BCx Forum). There are a ton of people out there that LOVE the interaction and would love to connect with you. Support is not just about getting guidance – it’s about having someone out there to hold you accountable, to encourage you and to be there for you on those pity-party days. Going it alone shouldn’t be an option.

5. Decide On Your Diet Plan – What is your goal? What are you going to eat? What dietary changes will you make? These are all things you need to explore NOW so you are ready to hit it hard come January. The key to success is being honest with yourself. You know what you will and won’t eat. You know what you will and will not cook or pack. If you are trying to lose weight, what matters most is you lower your caloric intake – how you do that is up to you, your schedule, your budget and your eating personality. If you are not sure, then dabble in them this month so you make a good decision before the month is over – plus you’ll prevent Holiday pounds along the way!

6. Build Incentive – Gather co-workers, friends, family and neighbors and do a contest. Call local businesses for donations for the grand prize. Our club just recently partnered with a group of people for a fitness challenge. We gave a group rate to all the participants, we donated a grand prize and we put together a special weigh-in program for them to track their progress. Sometimes we just need a little incentive and some healthy competitiion to take things to the next level.

7. Get Ready to Work – As you prepare for a new you this new year, don’t sabotage your success by going backwards before you go forwards. Another words, don’t eat even worse than you normally do, or be even lazier than you normally would, because you know you are going to be really working hard come January. Honestly! Think about this. That would be like knowing you are going to start working to pay off your credit cardS so you just rack your bill up even more! You will only make it HARDER for yourself. Instead, get prepared. Stick to your normal routine or take things up a notch now so you are even in better shape when you begin. If you were running a race with friends and they offered you a head-start, wouldn’t you want to take it? Sure you would!! So take your head-start to a healthier hotter new you and I bet you’ll not only get to the finish line quicker – you’ll have the most exciting journey along the way!

MORE OF MY 7 TIPS: 
A Head Start to a New You: 7 Steps to Get Fit & STAY Fit!

If you like my tips, check out more 7 Tips topics from FitFluential’s best bloggers with links to their Facebooks too!
7 Tips for Me and You, by Kelly Olexa of FitFluential
7 Tips for my New Trainees, by Alfonso Moretti, AKA”The Angry Trainer”
7 Reasons to Exercise by Tara Burner
7 Tips to Getting Healthy around the Holiday, by Tiffany Wolff
7 Tips to Get Fit, by Jill Hanner
7 Reasons to Start Getting Fit NOW, by Kymberly Williams-Evans sis, Alexandra Williams
7 Tips for Women, by Heather Iacobacci-Miller
7 Reasons Why You Should Start Working Out, by Emily FaliLv
7 Tips to Incorporate Fitness into Your Life, by Toni Church
7 Tips How You Can Become FitFluential, by Samantha “Because I Can”
7 Things to Do to Get Your Fitness Life Jumpstarted, by Laura Mount
7 Ways to Prepare for Success, by Tamara Grand
7 Tips – the Mantra that Keeps Me Going, by Katy Widrick
7 Tips for New Runners by Mary Baum

my 7 Tips Media Pic thanks to Kelly Olexa’s Tweet:
7 Laws of Leaness, from the PROS from Men’s Health

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