The #1 Problem with Fitness Resolutions and How to Beat It

Did you promise yourself to get in better shape or lose weight this year? If you’re like most people around now, you're really motivated and might even have a workout plan in mind. But will you be able to stick with it and reach your goal? More importantly, once you get there, can you maintain your results indefinitely?

This is the biggest problem with fitness resolutions and many workout programs. We all want to be healthier (and look better!) but we often don’t plan for the long term. What really matters is your current state of fitness and how long you can stay in shape. You could have been the fittest person on earth a couple of years ago but if you’re overweight and out-of-shape now, then your health is still at risk.

Long-term success is the result of consistency and a fail-proof way to be consistent is to turn productive actions into habits. When something becomes a habit, it becomes second-nature and requires much less, if any will power to do it. It takes priority in your mind over other obligations that compete for your time and attention. This is why people with good workout habits always seem to find time to exercise while others can never find the time and make excuses.

When you decide to get in shape, you may be tempted to jump right into one of the many intense workout programs out there. And that’s fine if you can do them consistently. Just make sure you don’t go overboard and end up injuring yourself as that’s the fastest way to sabotage your resolution.

Keep in mind that the novelty of the workout and your enthusiasm is inevitably going to wear off. The boot camp or workout program you saw on TV is going to seem a lot less fun and become a chore, especially as other obligations pop up and consume your valuable time. If you haven't established a workout habit, then there is a very high chance that you’ll stop doing it sooner or later. When that happens, any benefits you may have gained start going out the window, as though you never worked out.

A better idea is to ease into working out so it’s easier to establish a workout habit. Start with a regimen that is easy to fit into your schedule. This way, it’s not a Herculean task to regularly carve out time for your workout. 

Don’t choose exercises which are too easy since you’ll be discouraged by the lack of noticeable results. Also, don’t pick excessively intense workouts, unless you like frequent next-day soreness.

Instead, do exercises that push your limits just a bit. This will give you more positive results and less negative effects. As you get in better shape, increase the intensity of the exercise but NOT the time spent working out. This keeps the results coming without growing your workout into an unmanageable time-sucking chore. In other words, work out smarter, not longer.

If you’re looking for a sustainable workout that grows with you, take a look at The One Minute Workout. This time-efficient workout system (just 60 seconds a day) grows with you as you progress and is a great way to establish a workout habit that you can maintain indefinitely. If you end up using another workout program, remember to choose wisely and think about the long-term. Be consistent and don't let exercise consume your life. Time-limited programs such as the 30-, 60-, or 90-day challenges can be good but you'll need to keep working out even after the program is over. If you can't keep up with your workout, use something simpler like The One Minute Workout to maintain your gains.

"The One Minute Workout" Book is Officially Launched!

It’s taken over 4 years of hard work but the book is finally out! You can find it at Amazon (http://amzn.to/1nfv1cg) and soon, at a bookstore near you. Thanks to everybody who helped and supported me so far with this project. I couldn’t have done it without you.

You can find out more about how and why the One Minute Workout works from the main website (http://oneminworkout.com) so I won’t go over that again here. Instead, I’d like to say a few words about what I hope to accomplish with this project.

As a doctor, I’ve seen many people suffer the consequences of being overweight and overly inactive. They get diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, addiction to pain killer medications, you name it. The sad thing is all of those things are largely preventable. Some are even reversible! We all know exercise is the answer but for some reason, it’s so much easier said than done. Healthcare professionals try to counsel their patients about diet and exercise but the results are not very encouraging.

I’ve thought about this for a long time and it wasn’t until I personally became out of shape and overweight when I realized what the problem was. Movement is essential to health and strength is the foundation of all movement. Therefore, we should be focusing first on strength!

We doctors usually counsel our patients about doing “cardio” activities to improve and maintain health. Recommendations often include walking, biking, running and swimming. But when you’re out of shape, your muscles are weak so moving is really hard work! It’s no wonder people rarely stick with our exercise recommendations. Plus, these “cardio” activities takes a lot of time, which many of us don’t have to spare these days. Now, some physicians do recommend some form of strength training but just telling people to start lifting weights isn’t very effective. They need regular guidance or a plan to follow so they get the results they need.

This epiphany led me to create the One Minute Workout. Sure enough, after I started using this convenient workout system and building strength, I started moving much more easily. As a result of moving better, I felt better, and I started looking better as well. With some adjustments in my eating habits to match my activity level, I lost the extra fat weight and gained significant lean muscle mass. Now I’m in the best shape of my life and am much stronger than when I used to lift weights at the gym regularly.

With inactivity and obesity rates increasing worldwide, this workout system addresses a fundamental part of the puzzle that is often overlooked by healthcare providers. It has already helped many people and I’m hoping it will help even more now that it’s available in book form.

We all know someone we care about who can benefit from exercise. Please share this with your friends and family - together we can beat this epidemic!