I don't normally make New Year's Resolutions. I always try to eat healthy foods and work out regularly. For me, healthy foods means low-carb, low-dairy, and a lot of veggies. Do I still eat pizza and drink beer? Absolutely! Just in moderation.

Off the Wagon

But every time I leave town (for instance this past Christmas holiday I was in Florida for 10 days), I fall off the wagon. I eat foods I normally don't eat - ah hem, Chick-fil-A - because it's more convenient, I drink a lot more, and I don't make time for working out because I'm lazy spending time with family. I go into a "vacation mode" where budgets/calories/workouts don't exist, but then I pay for it when I get back to reality. The break leaves me feeling sluggish and grumpy that I now have to lie down to shimmy my pants on.

So my New Years Resolutions are less resolutions and more me forcing myself to get back to "my routine" which is one of the most challenging things to do when you haven't for 10 days.

I work out in the morning 1) because I'm a morning person and 2) the odds of me working out decreases as time in the day increases. I like to get it done first. 

I also like variety. Every week, I take at least 2 yoga classes, 1 weight class, and 1 high intensity interval training class and depending on how sore my muscles are feeling, I'll do an additional class of pilates/barre. My gym has all of these classes and all of them in the morning so I really have no excuse not to utilize them.

I'm happy to brag that I've kept up my routine for the whole month of January, and I feel amazing! I attribute my success to two very simple "secrets"...

I wear cute athletic wear. Comfort is always a priority, but there's no reason to equate being comfortable to looking frumpy. Looking good and feeling good go hand in hand for me. Let's be honest, we spend a lot of time looking at ourselves in the mirror at the gym. If you feel comfortable and like what you see, you're going to feel better about what you're doing.

I buy most of my gym clothes at Marshalls. All the pieces are comfortable, affordable, and have withstood all of my burpees, lunges, pigeon poses, squats, etc. and have even survived my crappy 2-in-1 washer/dryer. I also own a lot of Nike and Under Armour pieces from there that I found at a fraction of the regular prices. Both the top and camo pants I'm pictured wearing are from Marshalls. I #FabFound the pants on the clearance rack for only $10! They're made by Vogo.

My other secret is a new app called GymPact. GymPact lets you earn cash for working out from people who don't workout. Confused? Here's how I use it... My current "pact" is to workout at least 3 times a week, and I wager $15 a day. If I don't meet my pact, I lose $15 for every day I missed. If I do meet my pact, I split the cash wagered by people who didn't meet their pact with the other people who did. My workouts are tracked by checking in (using the app) to my gym for at least 30 minutes. (If you prefer walking/running outside, you can also sync GymPact to other apps like RunKeeper.)

While I don't earn a lot of money each week, I don't like to waste money, so for me this is a HUGE motivator. There's no way I'd let myself lose $45 a week on top of what I already pay for a gym membership! It doesn't matter if it feels like -5 degrees out, I still get my butt in the those classes! I have yet to miss a day and am thinking of increasing my pact to 4/5 days a week...since I'm working out that much anyway. The app also has food and veggie pacts now, but I haven't used them. You can read more about it all here.

Let me know if you give either of my secrets a try and let me know what works for you. What are your resolutions and what helps you stay motivated?