The ‘New Year, New You’ trap. Mobile personal trainer shares motivation tips for the start of the year.
It’s almost impossible at this time of year to open a newspaper, magazine or social media app without being bombarded with the annual ‘New Year, New You’ message.
With this comes an overload of conflicting information on diet, exercise and psychology which can be counter productive to helping us re-focus.
For those that want to use a new year to reset exercise and fitness, here are a few of the best ways to stay motivated - for more than just the month of January.
Believe that you can stick to New Years resolutions
Its easy to assume that resolutions never really work in the long-term but identifying that you want to change is the first important step.
A study by the Journal Of Clinical Psychology concluded people who make New Year's resolutions are 10 times more likely to make a positive change in behaviour than people who don't.
Find the right exercise for YOU
It’s ok to dislike some forms of exercise.
Many people pay for a gym membership they don’t use because that environment isn’t for them or they are intimidated by the fitness equipment.
Remember, there are hundreds of forms of exercise and ways to do it. Take time to think about what really suits you, whether that be experimenting to find a class you love or asking a personal trainer to build programs around what you find you enjoy.
Setting goals helps change
There have been numerous psychological studies linking goal-setting to success. Making a resolution that you’re ‘going to go to the gym more’ is a positive step but it’s not a specific enough goal to induce real change.
Forming a fitness goal to work towards can have a motivating effect. Remember it doesn’t have to be about losing a specific amount of weight, it could be to build muscle or achieve a certain distance in a certain time. Using the SMART acronym can be helpful, chose a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound goal so you can work gradually towards it.
Helping yourself - making physical and material commitments
It’s much harder to make a significant increase in the amount of exercise you do relying on willpower alone.
Making active commitments such as booking a session with a personal trainer, buying new kit and paying for a set of classes, or asking to join a motivated friend in their exercise will make change easier because it involves others. Similarly, sharing your goals with friends and family can often mean you are more likely to stick to them.
Remember the far-reaching benefits of exercise
The benefits of exercise are countless, no matter what your age, ability or stage of fitness is.
Remember that these go far beyond weight control or physical appearance but that by being active you yourself are doing so much to improve your long-term physical and mental health.
Exercise greatly reduces the risk of disease, improves cardiovascular fitness and bone health, is scientifically proven to aid depression and anxiety, boosts mood and can help prevent the onset of mental health problems such as dementia. Everyone benefits from exercise and these benefits can be life-saving.
If you would like help setting your fitness goals or to book a personal training session contact Chelsea Personal Training to arrange a free initial session. We will come to the comfort of your own home, park or local gym (we are mobile personal trainers after all) and can tailor design a fitness programme specifically for you.
