Health And Fitness Resolutions For 2010

1. Set a goal that will motivate you. Before you even consider setting foot in a gym, you need to know what your health and fitness goals are. It helps to have your goal set out, so write down exactly what you want to achieve and how you want to look once you complete your fitness program.

Tear out a picture of the way you want to look from a magazine or catalogue, and place it somewhere where you can look at itevery day (e.g. on the front of your fridge).

2. Find your ideal workout area. If you are highly motivated or short on time or funds and have enough room then training at home might be the ideal solution for you. However, if you find it hard to muster enough motivation or you are easily distracted then training at a gym or health club is the way forward for you.

Joining the right gym is very important and simply choosing the nearest one or the fanciest one is not always the answer. Will you really need the use of a swimming pool, sauna and Jacuzzi?' Will you attend any of the classes that might be included in your membership? If not, it's a lot of membership money going to waste. Choose a gym that suits you and your goals.

3. Eat more protein. Protein is essential for any man or woman who wants to tone up and lose weight. Excellent sources of protein include chicken, turkey, fish (such as tuna, salmon, haddock etc), eggs, red meat, cottage cheese. If you find it difficult to consume sufficient protein then a good whey protein powder is a good supplement to add to your nutrition plan.

4. Cut down on the junk. You already know this (at least I hope you do!!), but avoid junk food! If you regularly find yourself grabbing a bag of crisps, chocolate bar or a fizzy drink to keep you going between meals then get out of the habit as soon as possible and replace these items with some quality food like piece of fruit, handful of nuts, or a smoothie.

5. Don't cut out fat. If your fitness goal is to lose body fat or gain muscle then it is vitally importantto ensure that you are consuming a healthy portion of good fats in your diet. Healthy sources of fat include cold-pressed oils such as extra virgin olive oil, rapeseed oil and flax seed, certain nuts, oily fish (such as sardines, salmon and mackerel) and avocadoes.

6. Train with weights 2-3 times per week. For women, training with some form of resistance (such as dumbbells, resistance machines or even your own bodyweight) will give you a firmer, more toned and shapely physique. Recent studies have revealed that resistance training significantly increases your success of burning fat. For men, weight training will help you gain strength, build muscle and burn fat. You'll see a noticeable change in your body shape in the first month of training and great results after 3 months.

7. Do interval training 2-3 times a week if fat loss is your goal. Interval training involves periods of higher intensity work followed by a timed period of "active" rest repeated several times in one training session. The periods of hard work are called high intensity activity.

An example of interval training is 30 seconds of fast cycling, running or rowing , followed by an active rest period of 60 seconds which you perform at a gentle pace.
Research has proven that interval training burns more fat than a long cardio- workout, and continues to burn fat hours after an interval training workout.

8. Get enough sleep and rest. Sleep is vitaI for recovery, repair and growth, Deep sleep triggers off the natural release of growth hormone, which ispartly responsible for increased lean muscle and reduced body fat. Aim to get 7 to 8 hours sleep every night.

9. Avoid over training. Don't let your enthusiasm kill you results. Nothing will halt your gain faster than training too much. Make sure you have at least one day off from training each week.

A good yardstick is to do some form of resistance training 2-3 times a week and if fat loss is your goal include some form of cardio 3-4 times a week. Stick to your routine and don't do anymore. Don't train to the point of exhaustion and don't try and beat your personal best in every workout, otherwise you will over train, lose motivation and give up!

10. Be persistent and never quit. Nothing comes easy - which makes having a healthy, toned body so rewarding. Most people quit before they see any real results. The problem is that most of us lack the will power to make those little changes that are so vital for success. Keep going and don't give up!