If you made a new year’s resolution last year, would I be wrong in guessing that it involved something to do with improving your health and fitness? The data certainly supports my hunch. A YouGov survey in December 2021 showed that for the third year in a row, health and fitness made the top spot in a list of resolutions, with 49% of respondents who planned to make one, stating an intention to do more exercise or improve their fitness.

Gyms traditionally fill up with new recruits in January and we are bombarded by all things diet and health related in seemingly every place we go and in all media we consume. But come March or indeed February the motivation wanes, the gym card is collecting dust and all those good intentions become clouded in a sense of failure.

So, how can you avoid becoming one of these statistics?

1. Make time to make YOU your no. 1 priority

Woman are so busy juggling multiple tasks: career, motherhood, relationships, care duties, to name but a few. Our needs frequently end up as a scribble at the bottom of a ‘to-do’ list.

Your health and fitness deserves the same level of commitment you dedicate to ensuring your kids are in clean clothes, your dog walked and your work emails responded to.

Schedule a time in the diary, and commit. Nothing bar an emergency should get in the way of this time.

2. Consider why you want to improve your levels of fitness

Personal trainers love a SMART goal, and for a good reason. Working towards a goal makes both parties (trainer and client) more accountable and better motivated.

For example, if you want to exercise more you may want to consider the following questions:

Specific: What is your motivation for exercising more?

Measurable: How will you track your progress e.g. specific weight loss, calories consumed

Attainable: Is this a realistic goal?

Relevant: Is the goal relevant to what you want?

Time bound: What is the dead-line you’re setting to achieve this?

3. Ensure those close to you are invested in your success

Sharing your aspirations with friends, family and colleagues will help keep you accountable. Letting colleagues know that ‘6pm gym’ in the diary isn’t negotiable will help you avoid rescheduling, and cutting down the alcoholic drinks you consume on a night out will be so much easier when your friends have your back. When you’re lacking in motivation they may just be the supporting voice you need to get you back on track.

4. Find your thing

I’ve never enjoyed running, only briefly doing so in an attempt to impress my now husband. In fact it took a while for me to actually find out what it was that kept me motivated and committed to a fitness regime.

Pounding the pavements running, or getting saddle sore is simply pointless if you dread doing so. Find something that you do enjoy and which you feel motivated to do and you’ll be far less likely to throw the towel in.

5. Recruit a fitness buddy

What better way to stay accountable than bringing a friend along for the ride?
Training with a friend is sociable, fun and a spot of competition when training may give you the impetus to push yourself a little harder and therefore maximise the gains. Plus, it’s a lot harder to cancel when you know someone else is relying upon your showing up

6. Don’t throw in the towel at the first hurdle

There will be days when you don’t feel like training. Mornings-after-the-night-before when the no drinking Monday to Friday rule will have well and truly been broken. Family, jobs, life in general will get in the way. However, that’s normal. It happens to us all.

You are not a failure. Your health and fitness journey is cumulative. One night on the tiles is not going to prevent you from succeeding. Focus on the wins and not the transgressions.

7. Be realistic

Yes, the shiny new gym 30 minutes drive away has an impressive indoor/outdoor pool and an ever expanding list of the latest fitness crazes, but when push-comes-to-shove will you actually make the effort to get yourself there?

You struggle to get out of bed when the alarm goes off in the morning, so can you actually commit to setting the alarm even earlier in order to exercise?

Baby steps may be needed to get you started on your journey. If you’re at home with a young child, attending an hours class at the gym may feel completely out of reach, but, a few 5 minute bursts of activity interspersed throughout the day - Squats whilst you warm a bottle, calf raises whilst you deal with the 4pm witching hour - will all complement the running around you are already doing.

8. Invest in some new gear

The importance of feeling comfortable and confident in your fitness gear shouldn’t be under-estimated. Confidence and a positive mind-set are closely correlated and both will bolster your motivation. So, hit those sales and replace those sagging leggings, and tread bare trainers!

9. Sign up with a Personal Trainer

Lost or looking for your fitness mojo?

Stepping out of the comfort zone when embarking on a fitness journey