Are you looking for fitness motivation in the New Year? Then exercise your brain first and think of how you can trick yourself into being more active. With 2019 underway, UnitedHealthcare chimes in with simple and effective tips to reach your exercise resolutions.

 

1. Commit to 10 minutes. Do you have trouble getting started with movement? Promise to give each workout 10 minutes. Then don’t be surprised if, once you’re on the move, you decide to stick with it longer.
2. Stick to a schedule. Add specific workouts to your appointment calendar and consider them unbreakable dates like any other obligation or appointment.
3. Enlist the buddy system. Find a workout partner who is an ideal match for you. Someone else counting on you might be all the motivation you need.
4. Create your own incentive plan. Assign points for certain workouts. For example, you might give yourself one point (or one dollar) for each 10 minutes of walking or cycling, then award another point for each 15 minutes of strength-training. Some fitness apps and wearable devices can record this type of tracking for you.
5. Set a weekly target. Then reward yourself with something positive and healthy for hitting that benchmark. Determine long-term goals too such as a massage or a daytrip somewhere exciting when you reach 100 points or cash in your exercise piggy-bank.
6. Go for the win.  If you are spurred on through healthy competition, consider these ideas: Join a sports team or league or compete with others. Register for a charity 5K race. You might call it a win if you beat a certain time or simply finish. Challenge yourself to beat your personal best—maybe that’s the number of steps you logged yesterday.

 

For more free resources on healthy living, visit UHC.com/Health-and-Wellness.