So, we’re 3 months into the new year and reaching that point where the “new year, new me” mentality is… not as shiny and exciting as it was in January.
Before you decide to bin your fitness resolution entirely, hear me out.
When embarking on a new fitness journey, a lot of people go all in. As in, they go from having their commute to work as their main source of exercise/movement, to committing to 3 - 4 days of 1 hour workouts a week. This is a drastic change in routine and is a great way to set yourself up for failure. More often than not, it results in people being unable to stick to their commitment and going “fuck it. This isn’t worth it. I’m out.”
Sound familiar? We’ve all been there, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Now, before we dive in, there are a few key things to keep in mind.
Ditch the all or nothing mentality.
Fitness is a life-long journey with natural peaks and lows. Make sure you allow your exercise routine to adjust to the rhythms of your life. If at one point you had the time and energy to commit to 5k runs every morning, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed on your fitness journey if, for whatever reason, you can no longer stick to this routine. Allow yourself to be flexible with what your exercise routine can look like.
2. Do it for you.
Do it because you want to feel good in your body, not because you feel the need to change your body for something/someone else.
3. Tailor the fitness routine to you.
Pick something that works within your budget, the time you have available, and most importantly, how much enjoyment you get from it. Do not try to stick to a routine just because you’ve heard it’s the best or the fastest way to burn fat/gain muscle. The best routine is the one that you can stick to.
Ok, so now that we’ve got those bits of the way, here are the steps you should be taking if you want to embark on a fitness routine that you can sustain for life.
Start small.
Pick just 1 new fitness activity to do for a month. Depending on your current lifestyle, this new fitness activity can be as small as a daily 10min walk, or perhaps it’s a 30min workout a week. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something you know won’t take a drastic amount of effort to do.
2. Keep a record.
Make a note of how you feel, both mentally and physically, before and after you do this new activity. You may start to find a pattern emerging - maybe you consistently feel happier or less stressed after doing this activity, or maybe you’re finding it easier to sleep at night. Having this written record to look back on will plainly show you how this new activity is positively impacting you. This will come in handy for those days when you just don’t feel like following through.
3. Be kind to yourself.
When hyping yourself up to do this new activity, remember to talk to yourself with kindness.
A lot of people tend to try to verbally beat themselves into submission, “if you don’t do this then you’re lazy!”. This negative self-talk doesn’t work for the majority of people and you’ll quickly associate the new activity with a sense of punishment. Instead, tell yourself that you owe it to yourself to follow through with this commitment because you deserve to be healthier and happier. You’re a beautiful, wonderful, god damn masterpiece and you deserve to take care of yourself by doing this thing that will make you feel better in the long-term.
4. Discipline over motivitation.
Motivation is fleeting. Discipline is what will keep you showing up again and again.
However, discipline takes time to develop and you should show yourself grace if you do find yourself skipping your new activity. Instead of beating yourself up, recognise that you’ve hit a little stumble, but it doesn’t mean you’ve fallen off the wagon. Pull out that record you’ve been keeping, remind yourself why you’re doing this new activity in the first place, and get back to it.
5. Celebrate milestones.
If you’ve been able to stick to this new activity for a month, do something nice for yourself.
It doesn’t have to be a lavish, extravagant activity. It could be something as simple as allowing yourself a long, soothing bath (unlimited bubbles, glass of wine, and face mask), or buying yourself that thing you’ve been wanting for ages.
6. Up the ante.
Milestone celebrated, it’s time to kick things up a notch. Either add another activity into your routine, or make your current activity slightly more challenging. If previously you committed to a 10min daily walk, add on another 10mins. If you’re enjoying the 30min workout then add another 30min workout to your week.
Now go out there and get moving! You got this!