JANUARY is always filled with good intentions. 'This year I am going to lose weight and get fit' is the usual refrain.
However, before you know it, the end of the month is approaching and you are still complaining of how sore you are from that first January workout.
Now, I have been in the situation myself of signing up to a gym, going for a few months while I'm still motivated, then before long work and family life gets in the way and that New Year's resolution gradually becomes a distant memory.
The question is: how can you conquer this trap and reach your goals?
Well, I will explain five steps that, if followed, will set you up for guaranteed success in changing your lifestyle and help you become a healthier, fitter you.
Goal setting
Chances are you’ve all heard of setting exercise goals – especially if you've had a gym induction at some point in your life. For a large portion of the general public these goals will be centred around the aesthetic; losing weight, toning up and making your clothes feel more comfortable.
This is a good start, however, I want you to delve deeper than just the first phrase that pops into your head. First off, a year is a long time – it has 12 months (not just January), so have a think about why you want to lose weight. What are the fundamental reasons behind you feeling like you want to lose weight? Is it that your clothes don't fit the way they used to? Is there a family event coming up you want to look good for? Do you want to run a 5k? Are you going on holiday this year?
Write down as much information here as possible. The more we can get down the better your plan for success will be. For instance, say you want to run a 5k in April, are going on holiday in July and your wedding anniversary is in October. Just from taking the time to write down a few events your goals are more specific and can be streamlined for success.
Planning
Next think about your week. When do you work? What time do you get up? What family commitments do you have? When can you slot in training – once a week, twice, three times?
Be realistic here, do not plan what you would like to do but what you will actually do. For some, planning when to train can be problematic – their lives are too busy, they will say. This is when we get creative – plan to get up early, work out at lunchtime or while your dinner is cooking in the oven, or even later at night.
Implementing
Set the time you have chosen to train as an appointment in your diary, the same way you would stick to a dental or optician's appointment. Both those appointments are important for your health and so is exercising, so categorise it in the same way.
Consistency
Be consistent in your training. You have set an appointment at a time you have planned to train so why not ask a friend to keep you consistent. Together you can help each other train towards your goals. This in itself gives you a little social pressure to stick to your training.
Contingency
In my experience this is the most important step and often the most overlooked. What happens if for whatever reason your plan won't work on that particular day and you can't make your gym/training session? Everyone will experience this at some point regardless of how committed you feel you are – life simply gets in the way. I find the easiest way to stay on track is if you have a number of go-to home workouts for just such an occasion. These don't have to be anything elaborate or even use any equipment as your body is the greatest piece of kit around.
Below are a couple of my favourite home workouts and remember that taking the time to follow the five steps mentioned above will set you up to stick to your New Year health goals.
Warm-up
30 seconds of jumping jacks followed by 30 seconds of rest (do it twice)
30 seconds of running in place followed by 30 seconds of rest (do it twice)
Short on time?
5 minute challenge. Pick an exercise, for example push-up, squat or burpee. Now perform 5 reps of that exercise every 30 seconds for 5 minutes. This becomes 50 good reps of an exercise and doesn't take long at all.
Got more time?
Try a full-body workout
4 x 30:30 (work:rest) bodyweight squats
1 minute rest
4 x 30:30 push-ups
1 minute rest
4 x 30:30 lunges
1 minute rest
4 x 30:30 sit-ups
This will take approximately 20 mins, depending on whether you need more than a minute's rest or not.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here