Spring is in the air, and fitness is one of the main things on everyone’s mind. We get to shed our winter coats and welcome in t-shirts, tank tops, and even more, the shorts (depending on the region you live in). Most of us have one thing in mind, and that’s to be in great physical shape for the summer. There’s plenty of guys who are anticipating going shirtless at the beach, many women are looking to flaunt washboard like abs in their two piece bikinis. Unfortunately, there is a good number of people who will not even come close to their fitness goals. This doesn’t occur because the individual is lazy, but rather they have set unrealistic expectations. Here are a few ways to .
Set Reachable Goals
Setting a reachable goal is the first step. Be realistic when setting your goals. Telling yourself that you want to lose 30 pounds in one week is highly unlikely. If you’re workout isn’t geared towards weight loss, you still want to be reasonable with your expectations. Remember the quote, “It takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing, 8 weeks for your friends to notice, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice. Give it 12 weeks. Don’t QUIT!”
Do it For Yourself
Quite often I hear people attempting a physical fitness regimen in an attempt to attract the opposite sex. The thing with this is its pretty easy to lose this kind of motivation. After all, the very guy or girl that you’re interested in may not have the same interest in you. If he or she was your motivation, you’d now need something new to get you motivated. However, if you were attempting to reach a healthy fitness level for yourself, others would not have an impact on your routines.
Use Pictures
Using pictures is an excellent way to stay motivated. Sometimes seeing our progress gives us an extra push. Start off taking a before picture on Day 1. 4-6 weeks later, take another picture to compare. Every few weeks snap another. This would be a great opportunity to break out your GoPro Hero4 Silver Edition HD Action Camera with 32GB Ultra Memory Card.
Use a Heart Rate Monitor
Using a heart rate monitor is a great tool when practicing new fitness routines. Many of these monitors’ counts steps, calories burned, cadence and more. This allows you to gauge your workouts and see where you can use additional training and also determine which routines are adequate. I would recommend going with the Garmin Forerunner 310XT GPS Personal Trainer with Heart Rate Premium Strap.
Now that you have a few tools to reach your Spring Fitness Goals, go out there and get started. Remember, there are plenty more ways of staying motivated, such as working out in a group setting. If you realize that something not listed is working for you, stick to it. After all, you know what will keep you going. Happy Spring Fitness!