An Expert Shares How to Push Yourself to Work Out in 2020
Aiming to work out may universally be the most common New Year's resolution.
But usually, when we aim to achieve a consistent fitness regimen, it's coming from a currently sedentary lifestyle. Like with anything in life, it's hard to go from zero to 100, and you're not expected to. Working out is hard. With everything going on in our lives, it's hard to make a priority out of something you can easily put off. And even once you do get into a regular routine, you may still very well hate it.
If you actually do want to regularly incorporate working out into your life come the new year, we're here to help you do it effectively and realistically. We reached out to Dr. Ryan M. Greene, DO, MS, founder of Los Angeles' brand new members-only health and wellness gym, Monarch Athletic Club. Keep reading for his goal-achieving words of wisdom.
Sweety High: If someone has minimal motivation or very little experience working out, what's the best way to kickstart their fitness drive?
Dr. Ryan M. Greene: The human body is built on replication—doing the same thing every day. You sleep for a certain period of time, you wake up at a certain time. The easiest thing you can do to build in a positive habit in your day-to-day life is just to have someone in your life keep you accountable and say, "We're going to do something every single day." Whether it's a friend or family member, within six to eight weeks, your body will naturally start to want that type of activity. And then you can carry that on for as long as you wish to do it. It's that first two months that are really difficult to break previous patterns.
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Sweety High: We're blessed with the weather in Southern California, for example, but what about people who live in extremely cold or snow-filled areas? It can be undesirable, or even impossible, to hit the gym.
DRMG: There are so many different options for people to exercise that don't require going to a gym. There are numerous apps you can subscribe to. I recommend picking something where you have to pay a little money, so that you're more obligated to do the workout. But you can seriously use your phone or Apple TV or whatever. And again, have someone check in on you and say, did you work out today? And make some sort of rewards-based system, whether it's monetary or whatever, that allows you to overcome that initial obstacle and changing a pattern of behavior. There's no shortage of opportunities to be exposed to fitness intervention. There are thousands—you just have to find what works for you, and it's okay to try different things.
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Sweety High: For someone with very minimal fitness experience, what's the best online option to get started?
DRMG: Tone It Up is probably the most comprehensive and well-utilized. For anyone starting out, I'd go that route. If it's a nutrition question, My Fitness Pal is a really good one to follow.
Nervous about whether or not you'll maintain your goals? Click HERE for four signs you'll stick to your new year's resolution!