1. DO NOT, I repeat, do not go to the gym!
The gym is the last place you want to be at the beginning of any New Year, at least for a month or so till it settles down. Everyone who has set New Years Fitness Resolutions and the regular gym rats who want to hit the gym hard again after their holiday break will all be at the gym simultaneously. Not the place you want to be especially if you're new to the gym workout scene, since the regular gym rats are not impressed with all the temporary newbies taking up all the machines and not having a clew on how to use them ;)
I say stay at home and use what you have available, do body weight exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and air squats… Ride your bike, skip rope, go for a run or fast walk. If you feel the need to go to the gym then wait it out a bit and get your body ready for more intense gym workouts by doing what you can at home first.
2. Start simple and build on it.
Don't do too much too fast which is another reason to stay away from the gym. If you're not used to pushing your muscles and body hard then the gym may be overkill at the beginning for you anyways! The first thing I would recommend is to start off with walking as much as you have time for, to help get your body prepared for physical activity. Then start adding some body weight movements like push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and air squats. Add in some high active cardio like running, skipping, burpees, biking or use other cardio equipment if you have it.
Same goes for the eating side of things. Don't just jump into a crazy diet cold turkey, start off by cutting the calories in your drinks by drinking low or no calorie beverages like water or the occasional diet soda, and keeping your alcohol intake to a minimum. Once you have your beverages under control, move onto your food, eat more protein and less carbs, keep the fat down and your meal sizes to a modest portion, maybe replace a meal or two with a protein shake and stay away from unhealthy snacks and deserts as much as possible. Watch my "The Most Important Workout Technique You'll Ever Learn" video for more info on eating suggestions.
Do everything in stages so your body can get used to each stage before moving onto the next step.
3. Set achievable goals with rewards when you hit them.
Another reason why you need to start small is so you can set achievable fitness goals with rewards in place for when you active your fitness goals, followed by a new added goals! For example: Set a goal to drink only water as your beverage for two weeks. Once you hit this goal, reward yourself with a night out to the pub for some beers/wine with some good friends. Then get back to the water program and add a new layer to your food plan like having a protein shake for breakfast in the morning, drink your protein shakes for two weeks followed by another reward and new program goal added. Soon you will have a multi-layered fitness program that is getting you to your fitness goal very quickly!
You can also set weight or size related goals like: When you lose 10 pounds, you get to go to a restaurant of your choice for a cheat meal. Or if you reach a certain goal dress or pant size you get to buy some new clothing. Perhaps if you have a big fitness goal, you can plan a vacation to celebrate your success!
4. Accountability.
Make sure to tell a few important people in your life what your fitness plans are and ask them to check in on you to see how you're doing with your goals. Your friends or family can help support you along the way, you will not want to disappoint them and they will want to see you succeed!
Make a pact with a friend who has similar fitness goals, your competitive nature may come out and help keep you even more focussed. Nobody likes losing to a friend.
How about announce your fitness journey on Facebook or Twitter, that is making a committed statement!
Write down all your fitness goals in detail, short term goals and long term goals, look at your fitness goals every day and check off the ones you have accomplished!
5. If you fail do not give up, reset and start over, failure is not an option!
Have a plan for when you drop the ball and get off your program, we all do it from time to time. The only difference between those that fail and those that succeed is really being able to accept that you made some bad choices or mistakes and be willing to reset and get back to the program. Even if you have to start from the very beginning, at least this time you have more experience. The quicker you get going again the better off you will be so just make it happen and stop looking for excuses. Failure is not an excuse, it's just a temporary setback.
Good luck with all your New Years Resolutions, have a great 2014!