‘New Year, new me?’ - Top tips for staying active after January
We all start the New Year with new goals that we want to achieve in the coming year and we usually do well until February and March come around and things start to go back to how they were before. Those visits to the gym can become less and less frequent and you start to struggle for motivation. So what can you do to keep on the right track? Here are some little tips and tricks I’ve used myself as well as some things I often advise to my patients:
- Find an exercise that you enjoy doing:
It’s fine if you don’t like running 5km or going to a gym to lift weights! The important thing is that you find a type of physical activity that you enjoy doing so you do not begrudge going and doing it. If you enjoy what you do then you are more likely to keep at it, the better you will get at it and the more you will get out of it physically, mentally and psychologically. Exercising should make us feel good so give other sports or types of exercise a go and you might surprise yourself. Whether its badminton, squash, tennis, walking, swimming, circuit training, spin classes, cycling, Zumba…give them a go and find out what you enjoy!
- Making time in your weekly schedule
Having a good balance between work and personal life can be difficult enough let alone having the time to exercise as well. The way I try to get around this is by taking a piece of paper and separating it into all the days of the week. Put in the days and times you are working, account for time travelling, picking kids up from school etc and find places in your week where you have a spare 30-60 minutes (ideally at least once on a weekend and once during the week). Reserve that same time week in, week out for your exercising time and it will become part of your routine and should be easier to keep up.
- Get social
You don’t need to start at new gym, lift weights at home by yourself or force yourself to go running. Get friends or family involved, try exercising together to make it a bit more sociable and enjoyable for you both. Local independent gyms are a great place to meet new people, learn how to do things correctly or with good form and to start enjoying exercise. These independent gyms are a great way to get into exercising and to stick with it because they have a great community feel to them and you all encourage each other to work hard for the time you are there no matter your level of ability or activity. You are all there for the same goal…to get active and to get healthy!
Hopefully these little tips help keep you on track or to help get you back on track! It can be easy to avoid exercising if you are feeling the effects of it e.g. pain, muscular aches and soreness or even if you are struggling with certain techniques. All are things we see a lot of in our treatment rooms so do get in touch if we can help in any way!
Good luck!
Roberto