How are New Year Goals Coming Along??

23 Jan How are New Year Goals Coming Along??

The start of a New Year is a period where many people take time to reflect on the previous year and set themselves new goals.  

Often these goals revolve around changes in health, whether it is trying to eat a bit healthier or improve your fitness.

There is an abundance of information online, particularly on social media platforms, promoting “the best ways to get fit”, “eat this for weight loss” or “10 minute abs”.  Finding the right information can be a minefield and many of these strict and restrictive regimes can be a set up for failure, as they are not realistic long term.

Exercise and diet shouldn’t be seen as a punishment, it should be viewed as nourishing and caring for your body and there is no one size fits all for health.

Starting any new exercise routine can be daunting, and if you have had recent injuries or health concerns it is always worth speaking with your physiotherapist or GP to find the most effective and safest way forward. You may also like to consider the following pointers.

• A good place to start is by setting realistic and specific goals, for example “I can currently run for 10 minutes, by the end of the month I would like to be able to run 15 minutes” rather than “I haven’t run in years, I want to run a marathon”. 

The first goal is time specific and achievable.  The second, although may be achievable, misses the many small milestones to get to running a marathon!

• Make small changes over time.  Going cold turkey on foods you enjoy or being to rigid and restrictive can make positive lifestyle changes more difficult to sustain.  Try cutting back on less healthy choices and swapping in for healthier changes over time.  There is nothing wrong with going out for a meal with friends or enjoying a small treat every now and again.  If you eat healthily the majority of the time, enjoy these things without guilt!
• Find an exercise or activity you enjoy.  If you can’t think of anything worse than slogging it out on a treadmill, don’t!  Try something else you actually like doing, you are more likely to stick with it.  
• Make sure you factor in rest days to allow your body to recover and reduce your risk of injury.  You are likely to have some delayed onset muscle soreness after starting a new exercise, which is your body’s way of adapting and getting stronger.

Happy New Year!