I was at the gym today and was initially shocked by the amount of people that were working out. My initial thought was "This is great." Then I realized that it is January 5. At the beginning of the year there is always a large number of people who join the gym you see them for a few weeks or maybe even months and then slowly the new joiners disappear. I don't have to ask myself why this is because I know the answer. It is easy at the beginning of the new year to set the goal to get physically fit or to lose weight. So off to the nearest gym to accomplish this goal. What happens after that is everyday life interferes with your goals. Your kids get sick or you have to work overtime or your husband can't take the kids to soccer practice and you somehow can't make time to work out. It will work best if you put your workout into your schedule. Look at your schedule and figure out what two days will work out best for you and your life.

At the beginning of the year this will work perfectly. You will begin to know everyone's name at the gym. You will show up on Tuesday and Friday at 3:00 p.m. Then something will happen and you wont be able to make that appointment. You will have to cancel because something else will come up. Perhaps an injury to yourself. Maybe one of your kids is sick. I could go on forever with the many millions of things that can and will come between you and your workout. Do not dispair. Just because you missed your workout on Tuesday doesn't mean that you cannot find another spot to fit that workout in and you need to find that spot. If you have to miss the workout immediately open your planner or pull out your family calendar and find the best spot to where you can fit your workout into your week.

Let us suppose that you get so sick with the flu that you miss an entire week or maybe even two. It is very easy to talk yourself into staying away from the gym. You will get out of your routine and it is easy to fill other things into that scheduled slot. Do not beat yourself up about missing the workouts that you had to miss. We get sick. Accept it and get well and get back into the gym. If you have been going regularly people will miss seeing you and when your return they will approach you to tell you they are glad to see you. The trainer may say "Hey, you need to get here more often." But the gym truant officer isn't going to scold you or discipline you for missing. Get well and once you are get yourself back to the gym.

You will be surprised how great you feel just for keeping the commitment to continue working on your yearly goal. As things come up you wont feel as badly for missing because you know you will be back to the gym as soon as you possibly can get there. Before you know it your clothes will feel loose. People will ask you what you are doing because they will notice how great you look. Part of how great you look will be because inside you know you are doing what is best for you. If you are healthy and fit you can take better care of your family.

So if you are making the goal to get into shape and you want to join a gym. Pick a gym that is a good fit for your personality. If you need to have a friend go with you find a friend that is willing to commit. But know ahead of time that things will come up to interfere with your goal. Accept them and continue working out in spite of them. Then you will be walking into your gym one January day and be glad that it is so full but know that in a couple of weeks it will dwindle down again but you wont be one of the people who leave.

Learn more about this author, Annette Liike.
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