5 Ways to Stick to Your 2016 Fitness Resolutions That Actually Sound Like Fun

I’ve tried the fitness-app route. Early last year, fresh off my New Year’s resolutions (and six months after having a baby), I tried especially hard. It was a calendar-based program, and the idea was fairly straightforward: At the beginning of the week I would commit to exercise sessions, and a reminder would float to my iPhone screen when it was time to get moving. More often than not, though, class was dismissed before it had even begun.

And then along came C. She’s a friend of a friend who works a few floors above me. Our mutual acquaintance had told us we had to meet each other, and we’ve spent plenty of time together in the few months since our first lunch meeting. However, we’ve barely spoken.

You see, when we discovered that we share an infatuation with, and shameful attendance record at, the same yoga studio, C suggested we make a deal: We’d commit to going together. Now, I regularly receive a “Make Yoga Happen” calendar invitation. I reply yes, and when I receive my 15-minute reminder, I don’t ignore it—I put on my coat and meet C outside our building. Sometimes I am tempted to plead deadline, or exhaustion. But C is the type of woman who manages to take three-day trips to Kyoto, write books in her spare time, and Instagrams from fashion shows–cum–pig roasts. She is not the kind of woman you want to think of you as a flake.

This is not about the “sweat date,” that cringe-inducing construction that surfaces on many a well-intentioned email. (No, I do not want to get to know you better over leg lifts, thank you.) C and I don’t bond; we barely talk on our walks to and from the studio, as we spend much of the time breathlessly skirting oncoming traffic. This is about accountability—knowing that somebody is expecting me to keep my word. For better or worse, I am a people-pleaser, and my arrangement with C is what it takes to get me into my leggings.

“There is no one way that works for most people,” says Ayelet Fishbach, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago whose research looks into the mysteriously unpredictable world of incentives. “We don’t know why people respond to different motivating forces, but you can try to play into the one that will be most successful for you.” So for those of you who don’t have—or yearn for—a C in your life, here are five other ways to motivate yourself beyond fitness apps.

1. Size Up the (Unintimidating) Competition

Comparing yourself with others can be helpful, says Hollywood trainer Ramona Braganza, who has worked with Jessica Alba. The key, says Braganza, is not to look to your 23-year-old yoga instructor or triathlete college roommate for inspiration. “For me, my motivation is my mother. She’s in her 80s and she teaches 14 Zumba classes a week. If she can do it, so can I.”

2. Seek Out (Positive) Feedback

Research shows that a post-workout performance review can be helpful—but only if it’s the good kind. “If you are an expert, you can likely tolerate negative feedback,” says Fishbach, “but for most people, positive feedback is what makes you feel committed. If somebody doesn’t feel like they succeeded, it’s unlikely they will return.” The affirmations need to come from within as well, says Kim Vincent, a hypnotherapist and NLP master practitioner at Altus Sports Institute in Santa Monica, California. “After each session it helps to review what you did, and say, ‘I feel good, I’m noticing I’m getting stronger, I’m feeling a sense of achievement,’ ” she says. “Whatever you do, don’t focus on how hard it was.”

3. Reap (or Eat) Your Rewards

You can trick yourself into action with a treat. Fishbach says short-term bonuses (such as delicious Greek takeout after a spin class) are more motivating than the promise of, say, a pair of Marni boots if you live up to your goal of working out three times a week for the next three months. Miami-based Equinox fitness instructor Christa DiPaolo uses her love of wine and champagne to her advantage. “My fiancé is a sommelier, and I have my first level certificate,” says DiPaolo, whose Instagram feed is filled with bubbles and boxing. “For me, a nightly glass or two is my payoff.”

4. Write It Down

Play into your inner task rabbit and put your workout on your to-do list along with the shoe repairs and checks waiting to be deposited. “I’m the type of person who likes to cross things off a list,” says for Amanda Freeman, founder and owner of the SLT boutique fitness studios in New York. She finds writing down “take a class” in her Smythson of Bond Street notebook to be highly effective. “Otherwise,” she says, “it will remain on the list and uncrossed out, and it will drive me crazy.”

5. Find a (Not Too Sympathetic) Ear

Enlist a friend to stand by and challenge you on your excuses. “A workout buddy doesn’t need so be somebody who shows up with you,” says Alycea Ungaro, owner of Real Pilates in New York. “My buddy lives in Connecticut and we’ve never worked out together, but she knows her job is to push me when I’m not in the mood. I will call her and say, ‘I’m not motivated,’ and she will say, ‘Put down the fork and go for a walk.’ I do the same for her.”

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