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Resolve to stay fit

Here are the points to keep in mind while setting your fitness goals for the year. Set short-term achievable goals. Maintain a logbook of your progress to record your fitness aspirations, your present statistics, your resting heart rate etc. Diet cannot be neglected. Vary your work rule out monotony as discussed in the article overload, so that the body does not get accustomed to a particular regime and stops benefiting from it.

At the end of each month, rate yourself as to how successful you were in achieving your goal and what more needs to be done. Do reward your self time to time to maintain enthusiasm. Last but not the least - do not give up. Remember when the going gets tough, the tough get going. The physical aspect will follow once you have mentally prepared yourself. Hence nothing deter or hinder you from achieving your goals. 12 months is a nice chunk of time to get in shape. It is also a long time in which you could lose your way. If you are going to stay committed to a year of fitness, you need to have a plan that is flexible enough that you can build in your goals and favourite exercises, yet specific enough that you won't have to wonder what to do next to stay in shape.

First quarter goals

Fitness

Work towards Cardiovascular fitness by trying any aerobic activity of your choice ranging from jogging, walking, kickboxing, swimming, step training to playing outdoor games. This will also strengthen your cardiovascular system.

Nutrition

Start working to cut down fat consumption to 30% or less of your daily calorie intake. Instead of big meals have mini meals at lesser intervals of time, which will boost your metabolism.

Second quarter goals

Fitness

Start gaining muscle mass. Do some weight training and achieve those six pack abs, well defined shoulders, biceps, triceps and calves. Muscle consumes more calories than fat. Your basal metabolic rate will automatically shoot up.

Nutrition

Continue to squeeze fat out of your diet. Focus more on proteins.

Third quarter goals

Fitness

Work toward a specific athletic or sporting event that's going to pull all the gains you have made to the test - a 10Km race, a bicycle century, a swim meet.

Nutrition

Stay the course with less fat and more carbohydrate. In the warmer months, be sure to get enough fluids. Carry water bottle with you everywhere you go especially during work out.

Fourth quarter goals

Fitness

Prepare for the winter by packing on an extra pounds of muscle and keeping your aerobic fitness well into the aerobic training zone.

Nutrition

You are approaching the holiday season, rich deserts and holiday parties. Try to keep your eating habits consistent. For example, don't starve before a big holiday feed, otherwise you will pig out on all the wrong foods. That way, when the New Year rolls around and you gaze in the mirror again, you won't have to resolve to get fit, you'll only have to resolve to stay fit.