We’ve all heard the phrase ‘new year, new you’. And the unfortunate reality of it is that many of us don’t end up seeing out our new year’s goals.
January is notorious for busy gyms and fad diets. And often, this is quickly followed by diminishing numbers as the year progresses and these same people give up on their health and fitness aims.
One of the most common reasons people don’t follow through is because they set goals that are too unrealistic or unobtainable. The key is to set sustainable goals that will help build long term healthy habits.
Below are some of our top tips to helping you achieve your new year’s fitness goals!
Setting realistic goals
It’s OK to set the bar high. However, try choosing some short-term realistic goals that will help you get to your long-term ones. Exercise can often feel daunting and overwhelming so a step-by-step process can help to not feel discouraged. Achieving new, smaller, everyday goals will help you to stay motivated along your fitness journey.
Schedule and plan your workouts
It’s easy to say you’re going to workout more, but you are much more likely to achieve this when you schedule your workouts. We can often fall into the habit of saying “I’m too busy”. If you know you’re going to be tired after a busy day, make it part of your routine to get up early and workout before work. Or schedule in a midday session on your lunch break.
A scheduled workout also has the added benefit of a more structured and balanced routine. For example, dedicating different days to various areas of fitness such as cardio, strength and flexibility.
Find what motivates you
Everyone is motivated differently. Some people are motivated by hitting PB’s in the weight section and others by social atmosphere during a group exercise class. Once you have a good understanding of what motivates you personally, you can set your goals or routine accordingly to stand a better chance of reaching that goal.
Trying different forms of exercise can help to understand yourself and what motivates you personally. For example, if you are motivated by achievement, try documenting your workouts to keep track of progress.
Try new things
The start of the year is a great time to try new things! Varying your workouts and routine can help to find what works best for you. Also, by adding variety to your workouts you can become re-engaged in a new fitness regimen.
With such a large variety of gyms, classes, and types of exercise it’s easy to find something you enjoy!
It can be difficult to stick to New Year’s fitness goals if you don’t see immediate changes or progress. Therefore, your New Year’s fitness goals should be about making lifelong changes, and not just quick fixes!
