Welcome to the not-quite-so-new year. Christmas is well and truly over, but spring feels a long, long way away – it\u2019s still cold, it\u2019s still dark long before you get home from work and despite all those new year fitness resolutions, the sofa and a takeaway are more appealing options than the gym and the 7pm spin class.<\/p>\n
So how do we sustain the exercise levels that we committed to on a slightly worse-for-wear January 1st, and stuck to for a good two or three weeks afterwards?<\/p>\n
I have two words of advice for you. Motivation and Inspiration (OK, that\u2019s three, but the \u2018and\u2019 doesn\u2019t count.)<\/p>\n
2. Inspiration<\/strong> can come from others \u2013 someone who\u2019s used fitness or exercise to make a positive change in their lives, or to recover from a potentially debilitating injury. It could a friend, colleague or even a celebrity whose body shape\/size you admire – anyone, in fact, who gets you thinking: \u201cIf they can do it, so can I\u201d.<\/p>\n Whether you use one or both of the above to get you fired up and re-focussed they\u2019re both great drivers to help you set and reach your goals. So, next question: how do you set goals that are both challenging (so you\u2019ll push yourself) and achievable (so while it might be tough, you believe you can get there.)<\/p>\n Actually it\u2019s easier than you think, as long as you work SMART. Yes, that\u2019s an acronym, luckily one of the more memorable ones, and here\u2019s what it stands for:<\/strong><\/p>\n When you know what you want to achieve, do research (or speak to a qualified exercise professional) about how best to get there, what exercises will help you best and how\/when you can do them. Equally importantly, you\u2019re in it for the long haul. So make sure that the programme you set yourself is one you can have a reasonable chance of actually sticking to for more than just a week or two.<\/p>\n It\u2019s vital that you can see your hard work paying off. So pick a measure of improvement that suits you and the programme you\u2019ve chosen\/ it could be performance-related, it could be about weight (easy to measure but possibly not so helpful if you\u2019re trying to lose fat but build muscle), or body shape (a great tool for big improvements \u2013 but small differences are harder to see) or even something as simple as how well your clothes fit. The word \u201chow\u201d is a great guide \u2013 how many reps, how big or small, how much.<\/p>\n A big goal or target \u2013 lose 10 kilos or run 15k for instance – can feel daunting and affect your morale. So instead, divide it up into a series of smaller more easily attainable ones, and each time you achieve one of them, set yourself the next. You\u2019ll feel a real sense of satisfaction each time you tick off a milestone, and as they say, nothing succeeds like success.<\/p>\n Make sure your programme and your goals are in sync. So if you\u2019re a night owl, don\u2019t commit to a dawn workout 5 days a week. Or if you\u2019re only planning to go running or hit the weights bench once a week, don\u2019t expect to be doing a sub-40 minute 10K or body-doubling for Arnie anytime soon.<\/p>\n Set a date\/time period – for you to achieve each goal. This will help you to plan how your improvements should occur and make sure you don\u2019t stagnate. Like smaller goals, shorter time periods are a great way to stay focussed and working towards the end goal. Before you know it, spring will be here, the days will be lighter, and you\u2019ll be ready to build on your success with a new set of goals. (SMART ones, of course.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So how do we sustain the exercise levels that we committed to on a slightly worse-for-wear January 1st<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":7863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,97],"tags":[56],"class_list":["post-2050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-fitness","tag-motivation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n1. Motivation<\/strong> is best based around having something to aim for \u2013 it could be a physical challenge or sporting\/exercise endeavour in the coming year or just getting an early start on the summer bikini body.<\/p>\nS<\/strong>pecific and Sustainable<\/h3>\n
M<\/strong>easurable<\/h3>\n
A<\/strong>chievable<\/h3>\n
R<\/strong>ealistic<\/h3>\n
T<\/strong>imed<\/h3>\n
\nSee? I told you it wasn\u2019t that hard. And if you follow this structure, you\u2019ll find that achieving the goals you do set is a lot easier that you thought it would be.<\/p>\n