New Years Resolutions: Make Them Realistic
Wow, another year has come to an end and it is the time of year where “new years resolutions” start getting thrown around. The most common ones always have something to do with fitness. “This year I am going to lose weight”, “this year I am going to join a gym”, “this year I am going to stop eating ‘junk’”. Whilst they always start out with the best intentions, they are often unrealistic, no fun, unsustainable and not actually healthy. The fitness industry markets specifically around this time of year to take advantage of this.
Here are some tips as to how to implement healthy, realistic movement habits in 2022:
Think about what your favourite activity is, do you like to dance? Do you like to swim? Do you like to socialise?
Pick an activity that you could do once or twice a week that incorporates that activity. E.g. find a dance class in your area, find a local swimming pool or head to the beach, join a team sport
Find someone to do it with, you are more likely to actually do it if someone is expecting you
Start thinking about exercise differently. It doesn’t have to be going to a gym or going for a run. Exercise is movement of the body and that includes every day activities as well. Completing smaller bouts of movement throughout the day that is lifelong sustainable is better then short periods of intensity which increase your chances of injury and leaves you feeling deflated when you can’t continue.
Remember, people you see on social media, athletes or personal trainers, it may be their full time job to exercise every day or sculpt there body a certain way. Remove the comparison, think about what is realistic for you to fit into your lifestyle.
““...if you judge a fish by it’s ability to climb a tree, it will live it’s whole life thinking it is stupid.””
How you look and how much you exercise does not define you. But prioritising some movement into every day is important for both physical and mental health. Start small, and add 1 new realistic habit every month or so. After 12 months you would have changed 12 things that will then feel like just a normal part of daily life. Being healthy and living a happy long life will not come from a 6 week challenge.
Examples of realistic healthy habits:
Add vegetables to every dinner
Drink 1L of water a day
Think about one thing you are grateful for each morning or night
Go to sleep prior to 10:30 each weeknight
Aim for 8 hours sleep
Eat breakfast
“Start as you wish to continue”
Pick one and focus on it for at least a month before adding another. Don’t try to do it all at once if you want to be able to sustain it.
Here’s to a healthy 2022! Happy New year to you!