Photo courtesy of Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash

As the new year begins, one thing is certain: the gym is filled with plenty of New Year’s resolutioners looking to better themselves this year. This is a common resolution, but one that is often met with skepticism and doubt; studies done by Healthline show that a majority of such resolutions go unresolved.

This is caused by a plethora of things, including scheduling conflicts, lack of motivation or knowledge of exercise, laziness, fear of embarrassment and few immediate results. However, sticking to a new habit of exercising can be extraordinarily helpful in the long term.

Harvard researchers found that “people who followed the minimum guidelines for physical activity – 150-300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity, or 75-150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity activity – reduced their risk of early death by as much as 21%.”

Scheduling conflicts or “little to no time” are common excuses used to justify not sticking to one’s resolution. The thought is that working out takes an inordinate amount of time, and many who work a nine-to-five claim there’s no time that works for them. Whether the issue truly lies in time management or being able to take an easy way out of one’s resolution isn’t clear, but Healthline studies show that weightlifting exercises can be effective with only “45-60 minute sessions” while cardio or calisthenics only need “30-60 minutes” to be effective.

So, with merely an hour of time needed for an productive workout, it isn’t an unrealistic goal. Granted, a nine-to-five is quite a grueling schedule, with most of the day being filled with work, but there’s always a way to exercise. Whether it be bodyweight calisthenics such as push-ups, jumping jacks or sit-ups or a weightlifting regimen in a private or commercial gym, there’s always an option. There are upward of 2,000 Planet Fitness locations across the country, which means there should be a commercial gym that charges as little as $10 a month and is open all day somewhere nearby. As Hofstra students, we have an on-campus gym that is open from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. It’s truly in your hands to take the initiative to go, which is where the lack of motivation starts to appear.

Everybody has their own reasons for choosing a fitness-based resolution, whether it’s to become healthier, gain muscle or strength or for appearances. Whatever the reason, one should always remember their motivation for setting these goals in the first place. People tend to have trouble getting into exercise-related habits because it takes effort to begin.

You must battle laziness and get out of bed of your own volition, take yourself to the gym and then find a way to stay focused on the exercise at hand. All of this may seem daunting, but those within the industry have discovered ways to approach it. Sharon Zarabi, a personal trainer and registered dietician in New York, has found that setting SMART goals helps her clients. In an interview with Healthline, she stated, “[SMART goals are] specific, they’re measurable, they’re attainable, they’re relevant and they’re timely. In other words, set clear, specific goals – e.g. visit the gym for 30 minutes three times a week – that are actually realistic and not so far-fetched.”

By setting simple yet achievable goals one should be able to motivate themselves to complete them. The feeling after achieving one of these goals is second to none; it’s so fulfilling knowing you’ve mustered the strength and courage to complete your own physical feat.

Lastly, many newcomers claim they don’t know what to do at the gym. To that I say, there are plenty of places to look. The app store has plenty of apps developed to specifically teach users new exercises and explain each area they target.

There are fitness influencers on social media such as JPGCOACHING, Max Taylor and Analis Cruz, as well as plenty of others, who post about what they do for their workouts with videos and instructions. Commercial gyms such as LA Fitness and Lifetime Fitness offer professional training from certified personal trainers at a cost. No matter what price range you’re working with, there are always options for educating yourself on how to exercise.

Stick with the exercise. There are plenty of ways to stay on track, and it’s all on you to do them. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Don’t leave your resolution unresolved; reject the statistics.