As always, with the new year, we welcome the new year’s resolutions. The most common resolutions are to exercise more and lose weight — easy when we put them down like that, right?
Wrong.
Making a dramatic change and turning around your lifestyle is difficult. The first few weeks of January seem straightforward — no one is really going out, social life is zero, and we can focus on ourselves.
But after a few weekends sitting at home on the sofa, we all start getting the bug for a pub night or dinner and drinks. It’s normal, we live in a sociable society and going out is a part of our culture.
So, the night out happens, and a few drinks and a takeaway later, we decide we’ve failed our resolutions, so we might as well not carry them on and continue with our regular lifestyle.
Meanwhile, those resolutions keep cropping up when we walk past a gym or step on the scale.
There are no quick fixes or cheat codes to stick to those resolutions strictly. But we can offer some suggestions that might contribute to a longer-term outlook of getting more active and eating healthier.
Coach Costa’s Top Tips:
1. Change the wording of a resolution
Exercise more. How can we rephrase it so that when we don’t go to the gym or train, we don’t feel guilty? We can say ‘become more active‘. Activity does not have to be a gym session or a run. It can simply be a walk around the block. If you are more active than doing nothing, it’s a win.
2. Exercise with a friend
It’s more fun and less scary to go to the gym with a friend. If there’s someone you can organise a weekly or fortnightly trip to the gym with (or a bike ride or a run), do it! Try anything that will get you moving while having a great experience. Time flies, and you both exercise.
3. Write down your goals and give them to someone you trust
What can this do? Writing objectives down will create accountability for yourself. As humans, we have an easy time letting ourselves down but a harder time letting others down. Write down your goals and give them to someone you trust. It’s almost like making a promise to that person.
4. Take Pictures!
Yes, a picture may be awkward in the moment, but when you are looking through your camera roll with no reception on the underground, it will provide you with a small boost of motivation. Progress pictures remind you that you can be active, and you can make changes to your lifestyle
