3 Easy Ways to Get a Jump Start on the New Year

Today is Monday, December 1, 2008. The first day of a new week. The first day of a new month. The first day of… well, okay, it is not the first day of a new year.

But why does that mean you have to wait another 30 days to get started on your muscle building or fat burning goals?  Are you waiting to put on a few extra pounds?  Maybe trying to make it that much harder to get the body you want next year?

You don’t have to wait.  It is easy to get started today!

Here are 3 easy strategies you can put to work now. So, stop procrastinating until the new year and get motivated!

Make a Small Nutrition Change

Can you find a way to cut 100 calories or so from every meal today?

Maybe add a serving or two of lean protein to help build muscle?

How about adding an extra side of a green vegetable or a delicious fruit?

Instead of having candy bar and soda at break time today, try an apple and a bottle of water.

Add a post workout shake to feed your muscles following that intense workout.

Speaking of which…

Add a Few Minutes to Your Exercise Routine

If at all possible, add 5 minutes (or more!) to your regular workout routine.

What’s that you say? You don’t have an exercise routine?

Funny thing about that.

I didn’t have one either until I started one.

And it all started with a 5 minute walk.

Start a Journal

One of the most important things you can do, when building muscle or burning fat is to keep a good journal.  A record of what you ate, what you did in the gym, and how you felt about it.

Even if you don’t change anything in your diet or workout plans immediately, starting a journal allows you to baseline where you are now, so that you know what changes to make in the new year.

When i started my journey a few years back, I understood that getting a good baseline of what I was currently doing would help me make the changes in the long run that would lead to my new body.  I wrote down everything I ate and how many calories it contained.

This process is what opened my eyes to the number of calories in a can of soda, and how big a serving of ice cream really was (hint: it was much less than I put in my bowl).

So keep a record of where you are now, because if you have no idea where you are, how in the world will you ever know how to get to where you are going?

Bonus: Reward Yourself

Make it a goal to implement one of the tips above and stick to it through the holidays. Then, think of that big holiday meal as your reward for a successful month of a new lifestyle!

These are some easy ways to get a jump start and to get some momentum heading into the new year.