Central Texas gym shares tips on staying motivated throughout 2023

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - A popular New Year’s resolution is getting fit and working out consistently throughout the year, and, a Waco gym is kickstarting people’s 2023 new year’s fitness goals by sharing some tips on staying motivated well into the new year.

As the third day of the new year, people packed the Muscle Cave Bar and Gym’s 4:30 a.m. Intensity Max circuit class. Doug Cochran, Co-owner of The Muscle Cave Bar and Gym, said he was not surprised by people’s anticipation to start their goals Jan. 3.

“At the first of the year, it’s always super busy, but we see that it carries over for quite a while,” he said.

Entering the third year of the pandemic, he said he has not noticed that COVID-19 continues to impact their group fitness gym.

“We’ve seen a lot of people come back,” he said. “For the most part, I think people have gotten back out and back in the gym...There’s nothing like being in the gym for a workout.”

However, he said the real concern lies in people staying motivated and consistent when aiming to achieve fitness goals after January, but, he gave some advice to help people accomplish the goals they set on New Year’s Day.

“We tell people to have a bag ready, your water, your clothes, your shoes, ready to go either in your car or at your front door,” he said.

Cochran also said planning workouts ahead of time will hold you accountable, especially when working out with a consistent group of people.

He said people often set their goals extremely high at the beginning of the year; however, he recommends to start small and keep moving up from there.

“We want people to stay on track, don’t set a goal that you can’t obtain,” he said. “They say, ‘how do you eat an elephant, one bite at a time.’ Set your goals small, when you achieve that one, move to the next one...It’s easy when you have a big plan and it be too unobtainable and you stop.”

While it’s important to keep workouts consistent, Cochran also mentioned changing things up as often as possible to prevent getting bored or worn out from the same workout.

“We like to make it easier, so we keep classes different,” he said. “It’s a different class every day. We hit full body, we hit cardio, we hit core, we combine everything. We let you get a full workout in. It’s not the same thing every day. We make it different and shock your system.”

The Muscle Cave is offering some special courses during the first few months of 2023 to keep people on track throughout the year, including a health and wellness program mid-January and a 5k program in March.

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