4 Tips for Getting Your New Year Fitness Plan off to the Best Start

Are you excited about a fit and healthy New Year ahead? The New Year is often an exciting time in the world of health and fitness goals. Motivation is usually high and many people get off to a great start with best intentions to be a fitter, healthier version of themselves.

But maybe you’re still in holiday mode and you haven’t thought much about your health and fitness just yet? That’s ok! These pointers will help kick start things in the right direction. And if you have already started everything with a ‘hiss and a roar’, this checklist can act as a guide to help ensure things stay that way. No one wants to fall off the wagon two months into the year!

Here are some of our top tips for getting your New Year fitness plan off to the best start.

Set long, medium and short term goals

Start with your long term health and fitness goal. What would you like your overall health and fitness to look like one year from now? What do you want to be able to do, see or feel? Perhaps you have an aesthetic goal or more of a performance based one? It’s fine to have more than one goal; just keep things concise. Focus on what you want, and follow SMART goal setting principles (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound).

From there, break your goal(s) down to medium term goals (3-6 months) and then short term goals (1 month from now). Your medium and short term goals should be linked to your long term goal. They’re a pathway to where you want to be one year from now.

Then set some weekly targets for the coming month, and break those down to simple daily habits that are easy to achieve.

Create a plan

Planning is a crucial part of your ‘goal getting’ puzzle. Plan ahead one month at a time. That way, you can evaluate how things have gone at the end of each month and tweak as required for the following month.

Map out a plan on a calendar or in a diary. A few things to include in your plan:

• What fitness sessions you will do, and when
• Your goal for the month, as well as weekly targets and any daily habits
• Space to alter your plan if barriers pop up (e.g. illness, or unexpected work or family commitments)
• A note to remind yourself of your overall long term goal and why it’s important to you

Prepare for success

What do you need to do in order to execute your plan successfully? This is called the preparation phase. A couple of things to consider when you are preparing to execute your plan:

• Do you have all the things you need to get straight into your plan? Do you need to purchase a gym membership or book in some sessions with a personal trainer? Do you have suitable workout gear and shoes?
• Are there arrangements that need to be made in order for you to get your planned sessions done? For example, do you need to arrange daycare for your kids, or to ask your partner to take care of dinner on certain nights of the week?

How will you stay motivated?

As mentioned, it’s easy to start off with a hiss and a roar at the beginning of the year. But will you still be keen to get up for your 6am workout when it’s freezing outside or you’re tired from staying up late? Have a think about your own motivational toolkit. What are you going to have ‘up your sleeve’ to help you push through? Here are some suggestions to consider:

• A workout buddy or personal trainer for accountability. You’re more likely to complete an exercise session if there’s some degree of accountability…plus many people find workouts easier and more fun when someone else is there alongside them
• Make sure that whatever type of fitness you’ve chosen is something that you enjoy. You’ll be much more likely to repeat it often enough to get a result if you enjoy the process
• What other things motivate you? Would it help to set yourself a reward for different targets that you reach along the way? What about music? Will listening to music while you’re working out help to motivate you? If so, make sure you’re organized with your favorite tunes.

It’s time to set the foundations for a fit and healthy year ahead! Contact our team if you’d like some help to get headed in the right direction.

Have you planned out your health and fitness for the New Year? We’d love to hear about what you’re up to so please leave a comment in the box below!