With the first week of January over, you’re probably taking the initial steps towards achieving your fitness themed New Year’s resolutions. But is this process the most beneficial way to achieve your health and fitness goals? In this article I’m going to be looking at the pros and cons of fitness themed New Year’s resolutions and answering the question – Are Fitness Themed New Year’s Resolutions Beneficial?
Positives:
1) They Encourage Healthy Habits:- One of the best things about fitness themed New Year’s resolutions is that they do encourage people to start make healthier lifestyle choices. January is the only time of year where there’s such a strong focus on health and fitness and for many people this can be the platform they need to create long term change and develop permanent healthy habits.
2) They’re Goal Driven:- Another great thing about fitness themed New Year’s resolutions is that they’re goal driven, so they’re in the perfect format to turn into a detailed action plan. By setting a fitness themed New Year’s resolution, you know where you are and where you want to be. All you need to be successful is to determine the steps that are required to get there and then create a plan that allows you to achieve your fitness themed New Year’s resolutions.
3) There’s Lots Of Like Minded People:- One final benefit of fitness themed New Year’s resolutions is that you’re not alone. Whether you’re planning to tone up your stomach, quit smoking or improve your diet, you’ll be able to find plenty of other people with exactly the same goals as you. For many people, this added support can be the difference between failure and success and allow them to achieve health and fitness goals that they otherwise would not.
Negatives:
1) They Lead To Overcrowding At The Gym:- While it’s definitely a good thing that a large number of people focus on their health and fitness during January, one negative side effect is that this leads to overcrowding in gyms. This means your workouts take longer than they normally would and very often you can’t get access to the equipment you want.
2) They’re Often Not Taken Seriously:- Another negative aspect of fitness themed New Year’s resolutions is that many people don’t take them seriously. They like the idea of losing weight or improving their fitness but when they actually realise there’s work involved, they decide it’s not for them, only to set similar resolutions the following year and repeat the cycle.
3) They Encourage People To Overindulge At Christmas:- A further disadvantage of fitness themed New Year’s resolutions is that they place extra emphasis on Christmas as the last chance to indulge in unhealthy treats before a new start in the New Year. As a result, many people eat a lot more and drink a lot more than they normally would during the festive period as a direct result of setting their fitness themed New Year’s resolutions.
4) They Encourage People To Put Off Their Fitness Goals:- One final negative of fitness themed New Year’s resolutions is that they create a cyclical mentality in some people when it comes to fitness. They see January as the time to start getting fit and even if they choose their fitness goals in October, November or December, they put them off and don’t act on them until the New Year.
Summary
Overall, I think fitness themed New Year’s resolutions are a good thing. While they do have their problems, if taken seriously and used in the right way, fitness themed New Year’s resolutions are a fantastic tool that can inspire people to lead a fitter, healthier lifestyle and develop long term habits that enhance their quality of life. So if you’ve not done so all ready, set yourself some fitness themed New Year’s resolutions and make this year your fittest, healthiest to date.
Now I want to hear your thoughts. Do you think fitness themed New Year’s resolutions are a good or bad thing? Have you set any fitness themed New Year’s resolutions this year? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Also, please Like, +1, Pin and Tweet this post, so that as many people as possible can read it.