The first of January often signifies a fresh start and time to put changes into place. Many people make big plans to improve their health and fitness, but all too often these plans fall through.
How can you choose a new year’s resolution you can stick to and make it work?
Be specific and realistic.
Deciding you are going to ‘get fit’ is too vague a goal to work towards successfully.
Start off with something you can achieve the same day e.g. I will walk to the shop instead of taking the car, stairs instead of the escalator, etc.
Make plans that can include others and can be fun e.g. organise a game of tennis with a friend, bike ride along the banks of the river with the kids, try out a new group fitness class.
Perhaps you want to do a charity 10k run later in the year, you could join a running group to get you going.
Having a specific goal will make the journey more worthwhile and a timeframe to keep you on track.
Try new things / places
If you are new to the gym and not sure which one to choose, check out the internet as many, if not most, will offer free trials. Use the trials and try out as much and as many as you can. Comparing different ones can help you decide what will suit you best.
You may find you like to workout alone in the gym or need the motivation of having others with you, so go for a personal training session or group fitness class. Remember, you can do the same class with 2 different instructors/trainers and have 2 very different experiences!
Perhaps you’d prefer to work out at home because it’s too tricky to get childcare? There is a wide range of home workout products on the market and something to suit everyone.
It is vital you find something you enjoy and makes you feel good, you will never stick to a regime that feels like torture to get yourself to it!
Be aware of your thoughts
If you constantly tell yourself it’s too hard then most likely it will be!
Remind yourself why you are doing it. Be it to have more energy to play with the kids, to lose weight or to fit into clothes better, you need to remain positive. Changing habits is not a quick fix process and requires effort and you need to know that the effort willpay off.
