It’s that time of year where many of us reflect on how things went over the year, and many of us are already contemplating how to tackle the New Year with a new fitness routine or nutrition goals. When we think about it, setting New Year resolutions can be very similar to how our therapists set goals together with the patient to address a specific problem. Read on for 6 ideas to aid in a steady and consistent health resolution for 2021.
Include friends and family
This can be a fun way of working on activity and nutrition goals as well as verbalizing to friends and family what your goals are. This allows you to take ownership, yet have a fun way of being accountable for your goals. Particularly with exercise, if you can include a friend or a family member in activities such as walking or pool-based exercise, it can be very beneficial and enjoyable.
Slow and steady wins the race
Rather than starting the New Year at an intense pace, consider going at a gradual increment. Furthermore, it is good to give your body time to adapt to the new things that you are going to be doing; moderation is key. Think about the gym parking lot example: full in January and half full by March.
Avoid “No pain, no gain”
Pain can be a very powerful de-motivator. Activity and exercise does not have to be painful. Find activities that you enjoy and you will be more likely to do them. Build success with success. For example: if you dislike running, don’t buy a pair of running shoes with the idea running a couple of miles a week. But if you have been walking for a while and want to up your level of activity, jogging or running would be a natural progression. Avoid sudden increases and this will help decrease risk of delayed muscle soreness, joint pain, or even over-use injuries.
Focus on healthy habits, rather than results
When thinking about a New Year resolution or goal, nutrition and activity-based, consider approaching it as a healthy habit choice that you are confident you will benefit from in the long term. The key reason why a person will benefit from these New Year resolution goals will be overall health achieved by changing or creating new healthy habits. Creating a habit as a goal can still be objective. For example, setting a goal of “I will walk with my friend two mornings a week.” Or “I will eat less (fill in the blank processed food) and eat more (fill in the blank healthy alternative).
Seek expert help
When in doubt, there are many fitness experts in the community. Physical therapists are one of them. If starting from scratch, consider an evaluation to establish a baseline and also get some proper expert advice and have a dialogue about your goals and how to achieve those goals optimally.
Remember to Have fun
The key things to remember when setting goals are being realistic, having fun, and going slow and steady to achieve the results in the long run. It is often most practical to select one nutritional goal and one activity goal rather than make drastic changes to your entire personal and family schedule. Most importantly, make any new resolution or new habit FUN and Enjoyable.
Remember to Have fun
The key things to remember when setting goals are being realistic, having fun, and going slow and steady to achieve the results in the long run. It is often most practical to select one nutritional goal and one activity goal rather than make drastic changes to your entire personal and family schedule. Most importantly, make any new resolution or new habit FUN and Enjoyable.