Chances are that you have made a new year resolution to get
fit. Here are our top tips to help you succeed.
1. Set a goal: “Get fit” sounds great, but what does that
actually mean for you? Is it running 10km or hitting the gym three times a week?
Decide on the type of exercise, how often you will do it, and how you will
track progress – apps like Strava can help. The more specific your goal, the
easier it is to stick to it.
2. Choose enjoyable activities: Select exercises you find fun,
like dancing, swimming, or joining a sports team, in order to make exercising a
sustainable habit. There is no point in choosing running if you do not actually
like it. Do you enjoy the solitude of exercising by yourself or do you need to
exercise with other people to make it enjoyable? Are you someone who does
better with a scheduled class time at the gym or do you need flexibility to fit
exercise into an unpredictable daily schedule?
3. Start small and build gradually: Do not make the mistake
of being over-enthusiastic with your new fitness regime. If you do not exercise
at all or you are coming back from injury then start small, perhaps just 20
minutes a day and gradually increase the duration.
4. Schedule your workouts: Treat exercise like an appointment
and put it in your diary. The visual reminder will help establish a daily
habit. It also makes you plan ahead for the week rather than haphazardly exercising
when you remember to. Think about the time of day that you have fewest
interruptions and are consistently available. Do not schedule in sessions after
work if you often find yourself working late or you have family commitments
that will take priority over exercise.
5. Be accountable to someone: Most of us do well for a
couple of weeks and then our motivation dwindles. Consider how you will
maintain your motivation. You could arrange to meet a friend for your workouts –
it is harder to hit snooze in the morning if you are letting someone down.
6. Incorporate movement into your daily life: Take the
stairs, walk more, get off the bus one stop early. Try to increase the amount
of incidental exercise in your day. 1 hour at the gym is not a great deal of movement
if you spend 8-10 hours a day sitting.
7. Invest in comfortable workout clothes: Do you need to
update your gym clothes or buy some decent running shoes? No one feels great
exercising in worn-out sneakers that have lost their support.
8. Add variety to beat the boredom: Some of us thrive with
routine and doing the same thing every day but your fitness will plateau very
quickly if you do not change things up and challenge your body.
9. Go to bed early: One of the biggest predictors of whether
you will get up in the morning and hit the gym is whether you had enough sleep the
night before. Set an alarm to get to bed at least 8 hours before you intend to
get up for your morning exercise, otherwise it is likely you will be hitting
snooze instead.
10. Be prepared for bad weather: Plan ahead for the days you
are likely to struggle. Can you predict when that will be? If you enjoy
exercising outside then one of the most important factors to plan for is bad
weather. What will you do if it is raining on the day you intend to go bike
riding or it is gale force wind when you plan to go running? Do you have a plan
B for those days – could you go to the gym and use a spin bike or run on the treadmill?