January is the month of new exercise programs, healthy eating and the difficulty of sticking to your healthy resolution to get active. But by this point in the month, many people have already lost the focus on their healthy goals for the New Year.
Here are a few tips to keep up (or restart) your focus on healthy activity in your life.
1. Start with something manageable. Lofty goals of exercising an hour or more every day to start a new program tend to set you up to fail. Even 15 to 20 minutes regularly will improve your fitness and you can increase your time to exercise as you settle into a routine that works with your life
2. Choose activities you enjoy. A gym is not the only answer to fitness. Power walking with a friend or your dog, exercising at home to a fitness DVD, swimming, hiking, skiing, dancing, Aquafit, the choices are almost endless.
3. Tell someone your goal, and let them know how you are doing. Reporting your successes (or challenges) can help you stick with your goals. What is your goal? How are you doing? Let me know in the comments below! (We can support each other!)
4. It’s OK to schedule a “workout day off”. We do not have to workout every day to get benefit. I work out 4 to 5 hours per week on a schedule that matches my work and home life.
5. If you get sidetracked with life and your exercise program suffers, don’t let that stop you permanently. Exercise when you can, and gradually work back to your routine.
Good luck!
I forget to tell you my activity goal for this season (I do it more than once per year): It is to focus on good breathing patterns during exercise (I often hold my breath when doing really heavy weight lifting or in yoga poses that are challenging). What’s your goal? — Jennifer