Here we are again. Another New Year’s Resolution. Another New You. The fitness team at The Thames Club have seen it all before. Every year it seems that we make the same promises to ourselves. This will be the year we shed those unsightly pounds, achieve a leaner, more toned physique or form healthier eating habits. Yet, despite our best efforts in the gym, our enthusiasm and good intentions often flounder. We find ourselves crashing, burning and falling back on old, bad habits.
Why?
Don’t worry, it’s not because you’re lazy or ill-disciplined and it’s certainly not because you’re forever destined to be unhappy with your appearance and fitness. It’s because making lasting life-changes is hard.
New Year’s Resolutions are nothing new. In fact, they can be traced right back to the days of Ancient Rome. Wonder if our toga wearing Roman ancestors were any better at keeping their resolutions? Whether they were or not, there’s no denying that it’s arguably harder than ever for us to stick to our goals in 2019. We’re all working so hard and have so many commitments in our lives outside of work, not to mention the ever present temptation and convenience of fast food and processed snacks.
If you’re adamant that this will be the year you break the cycle read our top tips below.
Top Tips For Achieving Your New Year’s Resolutions
-
Don’t try to do too much too soon
Many of us, buoyed by a sense of motivation and passion, can try to take on too much too soon. We can overdo it at the gym or in a fitness class and push ourselves beyond our limits. If we fail to cool down properly we can fill our muscles with lactic acid making it impossible to exercise (or even move) the next day.
Aim instead for slow, incremental and sustainable change. Follow a programme designed for you by a professional fitness team. This will be the kind that stays with you for the rest of your life. While we’re on the subject…
-
Forget quick fixes
With so many people on the New Year health and fitness kick, it’s only natural that the industry would respond to this new found surge of interest with enticing offers and deals that make impressive promises. Just be wary of anyone offering you a quick fix or rapid weight loss.
Shockingly quick weight loss may look great on a poster, but quick fixes tend to be just that… Quick. They tend to rely on either a colossal drop in caloric intake or a transformation in the way we metabolise our food… And neither is sustainable in the long run.
Instead aim for slower, more sustainable weight loss and building lean muscle mass for a more efficient metabolism.
-
Never be hungry
It’s incredible how, even in the enlightened 21st century, so many of us think that we can starve our way to health, fitness and happiness. If you’re to achieve your New Year’s Resolutions in 2019 you should not find yourself going hungry. If anything you should be eating more. You should be eating well balanced, nutritious meals and snacking on healthy foods to give your body the nutrition it needs.
-
Aim for the 80/20 rule
All of us find ourselves experiencing unhealthy cravings. The worst thing that we can do is allow them to derail our progress. Yet, when we deprive ourselves of the naughtier foods we love, we run the risk of putting them on a pedestal and turning the taste of the healthier foods we’re eating to ashes in our mouths.
If you’re desperately craving a pizza, have a pizza. If the birthday cake is doing the rounds at the office, go ahead and treat yourself to a slice. Aiming for 80% healthy eating while allowing yourself a naughty treat 20% of the time is a good way to keep cravings at bay without derailing your progress.
-
Don’t use falling off the wagon as an excuse to give up
Even when sticking to the 80/20 rule you may have a day where you crack. You might have a particularly rough day at work and console yourself with a tub of ice cream when you get home. If this happens, don’t beat yourself up over it and certainly don’t use it as an excuse to give up!
-
Get a personalised fitness plan
Finally, all the willpower and discipline in the world will only get you so far. Your progress is likely to be impeded if you attempt to go it alone. Find somewhere that can give you a truly personalised fitness experience that fits in with your goals and your lifestyle. Ask a member of The Thames Club fitness team about our brand new personal fitness programme and how they can support you along the way.
-
Find a Personal Trainer
The best thing you can do to help yourself to stick to your resolutions is to seek out the help of a personal trainer.
Not only can they give you the exercises and techniques to achieve your goals, they can also help to hold you accountable and keep you motivated. This will allow you to track your progress effectively while also keeping yourself on track.
With their help, you can not only achieve your goals… But smash them!