VIDEO: New Year’s REVolutions

Now that the holidays are over, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The chaos is behind you, there are fewer temptations lurking around every corner, and you can start the year with a clean slate.

“It’s the perfect time to put your old bad habits to rest and to commit to bettering your life, starting with you,” says Katie Corio, a certified trainer, nutritionist and Oxygen coach.

“Fitness resolutions are very common this time of year, as people want nothing more than to be in shape and get healthy,” Corio says. “A fresh new workout routine gives you the motivation and drive you need to crush your goals for the new year and set you on a path to success.”

The Benefits of Mixing Up Your Routine

Changing up your workouts is essential for many aspects of your life, Corio says, including:

• Physical. Because your body will adapt to your workouts over time, it’s vital to switch them up every once in a while to maintain good progress.
• Mental. Since there are so many different ways to work out, never let yourself get bored, which could cause you to lose motivation.
• Emotional. A lack of progress can leave you frustrated with your fitness journey instead of amped to keep going.
• Injury prevention. If you put your body through the same motions again and again, you’ll increase your risk of an “overuse injury.” By mixing up your workouts, you give your muscles, joints and ligaments time to rest and recover before putting them into action again.
• Individualization. What works well for one person’s body might not work well for yours. By trying new things, you’ll be able to find the training styles that work best for you and your body, and what you enjoy doing the most.
• New goals. You’ll want your workouts to adapt and change to suit your goals because different workouts can yield different results.
• Break plateaus. If you’ve hit a plateau in your progress, the first thing you should do is switch up your workouts, which might just be the push your body needs to keep progressing.
• Brain health. Exercise is vital to keep your brain sharp and prevent memory loss. Learning new skills also helps the neurons in your brain fire faster.
• Community. Want to meet more like-minded people and potential workout partners? Join a new yoga class or try Pilates — you might just meet your new BFF and find a great support system.

6 Ways to Kick Things Up a Notch

If you haven’t yet put a plan in place for how to achieve your 2019 fitness goals, Corio suggests the following tips:

1. Sign up for the Healthy New You program. Corio is coaching Oxygen’s latest training and nutrition jump-start program, Healthy New You, which she designed in three 20-day phases that build on one another so they become progressively more challenging. Aside from the 60 days of workouts scalable to any fitness level, Corio also provides motivational tips, a grocery list, meal plan, and more than 40 delicious and healthy recipes.
2. Have a plan. There’s nothing worse than wandering around the gym aimlessly because you don’t know what to do. Do yourself a favor and bring a written workout to follow every single time you walk through the gym doors. This will ensure that you get a full workout in and that you won’t wimp out on your training.
3. Challenge a friend. Having a workout buddy is one of the best favors you can do for yourself — you’ll not only hold each other accountable, but the energy between two people is also a lot more fun and motivating than training alone.
4. Find something fun. One of the main reasons people lose their steam on fitness is because they don’t find something they actually enjoy doing. If you absolutely hate running, don’t run! Try new things until you find something you can look forward to and truly enjoy.
5. Pump up the jams. The music you choose to listen to can make or break your workout. Listening to an upbeat, energetic playlist will keep you pumped up and help you train harder.
6. Food is fuel. Remember, if you’re revving up your workouts, you want to rev up your system, too. Eating a healthy, well-balanced meal an hour or so before you hit the gym will help you power through your workout with strength and stamina, preventing fatigue and weakness.

Corio’s Current Favorite HIIT Cardio Circuit

Repeat the circuit five times.

Jump Rope (30 seconds)

Rest 30 seconds.

Battle Ropes (30 seconds)

Rest 30 seconds.

Squat Jump (30 seconds)

Rest 30 seconds.

Mountain Climber (30 seconds)

Rest 30 seconds.

Wall Sit (30 seconds)

Rest 30 seconds.