Fitness hacks for New Year’s resolution success

Set meaningful goals to achieve bigger-picture fitness results. Success starts with setting the right resolutions.

A jogger runs past the US Capitol Building in Washington last week. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

I have started many a New Year vowing to exercise more and eat healthier. And just like 80 per cent of people who make New Year’s resolutions, I have often dropped them by February.

Still, I have figured out a few tricks to staying committed for the long run. Success starts with setting the right resolutions.

“‘I want to lose weight’ or ‘I want to be more fit’ are aspirations, not goals,” says Susan David, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

“A goal is something specific and measurable.”

Those goals also need to have meaning for you, personally. There is a lot of cultural pressure to look a certain way or partake in a trendy workout, such as Peloton, says Dr David. Don’t compare yourself to others. Focus on what is important to you and what makes you feel good, rather than what everyone else is doing, she says.

Achieving your fitness goals really comes down to making changes in your daily habits, she says.

“You need to put a strategy in place to meet your long-term goals,” says Dr David.

I have learned to create one big-picture New Year’s resolution, plus a road map for how to achieve it by year’s end. To stay on track, I have also come up with a few hacks, ranging from buying new running shoes to booking a vacation that requires me to train so I stay motivated.

Here are 10 tips that will help you follow through on your 2022 fitness goal.

Create an environment that sets you up for success

If you cue your setting to encourage good habits, you are more likely to follow through, says Dr David.

“Put your walking shoes in front of the front door or lay out your exercise clothes next to your bed as a reminder of what you intend to do.”

Anticipate obstacles

We all have temptations that sabotage our workouts. Take note of the situations that regularly cause you to skip workouts. If you know you will be tired after a late Zoom call and want to watch Netflix rather than exercise, commit to a short workout and then a movie, says Dr David. More often than not, once you start moving you will feel good and exercise longer than planned.

 

Find your passion

Discovering an activity that excites you is key. Every year I resolve to try a new sport or workout, be it golf or Zumba.

Jill Henderzahs-Mason, a physical therapist at the Healthy Living Program with the Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota, suggests plugging new activities into your calendar monthly.
If you have no clue what you are passionate about, start by making a list of what you like and don’t like, says Chris Vlaun, co-founder of V Art of Wellness, a fitness company in Park City, Utah, and Miami.

“If the thought of spinning indoors sounds awful, maybe that’s a sign you’re an outdoors person and should try a hike,” he says.

Make it social

Whether you join a running club or commit to a weekly walk where you phone a friend to catch up, that social commitment can help you stay on track.

“Walking with a friend is one of the best things you can do for mental and physical health,” says Heather Harrington, co-owner of Compass Fitness in Denver.

“You get physical exercise while unloading your stress and worries.”

 

Surround yourself with a supportive community

If you find yourself skipping workouts to join colleagues for happy hour or friends for beer-soaked football-watching weekends, you may need to find more health-minded buddies to help you stick to your routine.

A workout pal creates accountability and makes exercise a social affair. It could be a close friend or the strangers who are regulars at your boot camp, says Ms Harrington. When you become a fixture in a group class and miss a workout, you will have people reaching out to ask where you were to keep you accountable, she says.

Have a backup plan

I treat my workouts like work meetings and schedule them into my week.

But that doesn’t mean unanticipated diversions don’t pop up, derailing my good intentions. I have learned to have backup plans, so if my hour-long workout can’t happen, I have 40-, 30- and 20-minute at-home options to fall back on.

 

Invest in your workout

I know if I splurge on a $25 yoga class reservation, I do everything in my power to make it to class.

“If you’re money motivated, prepaid classes and workouts might help you stick to your routine,” says Ms Harrington.

“Sign up in advance so it’s on your calendar.”

Investing in pricey gear, like new running shoes or a tricked out road bike, can also be an incentive.

 

Make your workout a means to an end

There is exercise, and there is training. If I pay a race fee, I am more inclined to work out four days a week so that I can perform well in that 5km race or half-marathon.

If you’re not competitive, try booking a vacation around an activity that requires you to have a certain level of fitness, be it a week-long hiking trip in Wyoming’s Grand Tetons or a ski trip in Colorado.

Gamify your workout

Gadgets and technology like Garmin, Fitbit and Strava allow you to track your workouts and compare your progress to yourself or others, says Ms Harrington.

“If you know you’re encouraged by competition, some of the latest tech-focused fitness gadgets can keep you motivated with regular performance updates,” she says.

 

Give yourself a pass sometimes

A lot of times people don’t achieve goals because they have an all or nothing approach, says Dr David. Change is a process, and it is important to be compassionate with yourself.

“People think letting themselves off the hook is a failure or weakness, but it often allows us the capacity to regroup and refocus,” Dr David says.

The Wall Street Journal