Happy New Year! It's that time of year where we are all newly invigorated to reach new goals. For most of us that includes getting healthier! I am a planner by nature-nothing makes me happier than having a to do list and a calendar with all my plans penciled out. Ask my family, I probably drive them nuts! Family vacations I am the one who makes all the arrangements and creates a detailed itinerary. When it comes to my workouts and diet it's no different. I like to have what time I'm working out marked in my calendar and plan for my meals at least 1 day out.  This may seem a little extreme to some but life gets crazy and if you don't have a game plan you may find a way to make an excuse not to workout or end up having to eat something unhealthy!

Prep your workout gear-
The night before I always pack my gym bag(if I'm going to the gym) or set out my clothes if I'm working out at home.  This way if you wake up late for work you don't have an excuse! Just grab your bag and go! Or if you workout at home it will be harder to ignore and make excuses not to get your sweat on if you see your stuff laid out waiting for you.  By getting everything ready ahead of time you know everything is clean, you have your shoes and you are ready to go!

Meal Prep-
Now that I'm working from home I don't have to meal prep as intensely but I still like to get things ready.  I chop up my veggies for salads and snacks. I also make extras when I cook so I have it for the week. I always like to have cooked sweet potatoes, veggies and soup on hand for dinner through the week. When I did work 9-5 I would prep my food for the whole week on Sundays. This way I never had the excuse to eat out(read more here on meal prep).

Get a Planner-
I know we all have smart phones with calendars but I still love an old fashioned planner! There is something about writing things down that makes me commit more. I also LOVE seeing the whole months training plan at once. It helps me wrap my head around my goals and to make each day count. I am going to start training for a triathlon soon so I'll be documenting my planned workout each day as well as my mileage and meters swam. This is also helpful so that I can look back and see how far I've come--another motivator! Looking at the month as a whole also allows you to plan for upcoming birthdays, trips or vacations. These types of things can throw you off without proper preparation.

Get into a routine-
The only way to improve your fitness is to be consistent over an extended period of time. If you build in your workout and meal prep time into your schedule it slowly becomes a habit.  It will just become a part of your day not a chore.

Working out at Home?
Doing a workout DVD? Put it in the DVD player so you are not searching for it. Then make sure you put your weights, yoga mat or any other equipment you need where you are working out.

Charge your Gear! 
My mom is NOTORIOUS for not using her FitBit because it's not charged-fail! Make sure you plug in all your stuff-phone, ipod, headphones etc.  I know for a FACT that I can't workout without music so make a little charging station for all your gadgets.

Ready-Set-Go!