Tips to get active and achieve your fitness goals
Getting more active is one of the most common New Year’s Resolutions made every January, as thousands look to spark a positive change in their well being and shed their holiday pounds. Gyms around the country reach their peak capacity as members new and old arrive full of motivation and ambition, yet many find it difficult to stick to their new routine for the full 12 months. Rather than making a lasting change, some often slip back into old habits. Here at Life, we have compiled some tips to help you achieve your fitness goals and become more active in 2019.
1. Mentally prepare for change
The beginning is always the most intimidating, as the daunting thought of changing ingrained habits looms over us. Setting ourselves short term, realistic goals can put a more positive spin on things and make us look forward to the longer lasting benefits of overturning these habits. For some people, it may not be the first time they’ve set an objective of becoming more active at the start of a new year – and they may feel like they’ve never fully achieved their goal in the past. By analysing what did and did not work in previous attempts, they can build on what they know they were able to achieve in the past and remember how good they felt back then, as well as recognise the areas for improvement. This will help them get into a positive mindset by breaking up the end goal into smaller, more manageable objectives.
2. Goal Setting
Think about the past year and list three things – what you want to maintain, improve and change. This may be quite broad and long term, for example, you may want to improve your active fitness levels in 2019. By breaking this long term goal into smaller, more specific goals that have quantities, expiration dates, specific qualities, etc., you will have realistic expectations and can assess how actionable your long term goal is. For example, by setting out to run 5km in under 20 minutes within 12 months whilst improving your time month on month, you have set up a goal that can continuously be assessed in the short term in order to achieve a long term end goal.
3. Monitor and Reevaluate
Having broken your goal down to short term objectives, you should continuously monitor these to track your progress and make any necessary adjustments if you feel you’re under-delivering. Circumstances can change, particularly when it comes to fitness – injuries and setbacks are common, and work or family commitments can often disrupt your fitness routine. It’s important to get back on track as soon as possible, and avoid letting a week or two out of routine turn into a month. Something is bound to interrupt your plans at some point in the year, but as long as any setback is handled correctly and your short term goals are adjusted accordingly, it should not massively impact you’re overall objective.
4. Bring a Friend
Getting active is such a common goal, that someone you know may have made a similar resolution. By joining forces and completing your fitness journey together, you’re more likely to stay motivated, particularly if there is a competitive nature between you both. You are almost sure to have days where exercising is the last thing you want to do, so having someone to encourage and push you on can make a lasting difference.
If none of your friends are willing to commit to joining you, send the list of your short term and long term goals to one or two friends and ask them to check in on your progress from time to time. While it’s great to set out a goal and plan, it’s also easy to lose interest or ignore as the year goes on. Making your goals public may give you a psychological boost in knowing that other people now know your objectives, creating a sense of obligation and accountability, which can spur you on to succeed.