As each New Year rolls around (hello 2017!), it brings with it an opportunity to set new objectives.
Yep, it’s time to clear the cobwebs and kick our fitness and nutrition regimen back into gear!
Not sure where to start? These five tips will help you on your way to starting the year on the right foot.
1. Set your fitness goal.
Exercise is about moving your body and finding a way to incorporate it into your life that makes you want to keep at it, so find an activity you enjoy.
Think about what is achievable for you, your fitness level and other life priorities.
2. Set the date, time and place – think S.M.A.R.T.
If we generalise and set the goal in terms of just wanting to get fit, we are doomed from the start!
So once you’ve decided on an activity, you need to set the specifics to create a habit. Once you’ve created the habit, you can expand on it.
For instance, if you are setting a walking goal, ask yourself: How times a week will I walk? What time and for how long? Where and what distance?
Always think S.M.A.R.T: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
Pro tip: try to start on a Monday. Research shows it’s the best day of the week to start a new project (psychologist Ann Kearney-Cooke calls this the “fresh start effect”).
3. Be kind to your body.
Be joyful with your journey and allow for downtime.
While it’s good to move every day, allow for more restful days where you dial down the workouts. Walk to work rather than hitting the gym, or riding your bike on the weekend.
4. Sleep.
Sleep is the body’s greatest healer. Our body reboots when we hit the hay. Our blood pressure drops, our muscles relax, our energy restores, and our tissues grow and repair.
Most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night (but fewer actually get it!). So get into your cosy bed and get some shuteye.
5. Fix the feast that was Christmas!
Is that extra slice of turkey or pav playing on your mind?
Give your body a much-needed boost (and quit sugar for good) by joining the next I Quit Sugar: 8-week Program, starting January 12.
The Program will set you on track to nutritional balance and food freedom in 2017. Happy New Year!
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