At the beginning of every year, countless people hit the gym full of fitness ambitions.
However, many people find it difficult to make lasting changes to their wellness routine, and as soon as they start, they may find themselves abandoning their resolutions in the new year.
Fitness experts gave DailyMail.com their top tips on how to make science-backed changes to your exercise regime that will last beyond the month of January.
The physiotherapist and sports medicine doctor highlighted the importance of taking small steps towards your goals and ensuring you have a positive mind and environment.
Dr. Milica McDowell, physical therapist and vice president of Gait Happens, told this website: “To be successful in following a new exercise regimen, there are three key science-backed strategies to ensure you stay on your program (once). New Year’s resolutions disappear.
To start, Florida State University exercise scientist Dr. Michael Ormsbee, author of the book Changing Body Composition through Diet and Exercise, recommends four concrete steps to achieve lasting change.
It starts, he said, with an honest assessment of how much you can personally handle. It is best to start small and build gradually.
This includes making seemingly minuscule changes, like adding a daily 10-minute walk or two strength training sessions per week.
Milica McDowell, a physical therapist in Montana, recommended using a tracker, whether a digital device or a journal, to catalog and organize your exercise routine.
He said, “Small steps reduce overwhelm and create lasting habits.”
Next, Dr. Ormsbee said that as your plan progresses, it’s important to focus on your performance, not just your body weight.
Focusing on how easily you can start lifting heavier and heavier weights, for example, is more productive than focusing on the numbers on a scale.
Other metrics you can include in your plan include mile times or making sure you complete a certain number of workouts weekly.
He said: “Performance-based goals build confidence and motivation while taking focus away from scale.”
As a third tip, Dr. Ormsbee recommends looking at your environment. If you’ve been tackling your routine alone in the past, you might consider joining an online group, attending group exercise classes, or joining a gym.
Surrounding yourself with supportive and equally motivated people can help you stay accountable, she said. This will ensure that you can maintain your routine for longer.
Finally, Dr. Ormsbee recommends focusing on strength above all else. This doesn’t have to mean that you will join the weightlifters or bodybuilders.
Resistance training also includes things like bodyweight squats, balance exercises like planks, and the use of resistance bands. He said including two or three of these sessions a week can help build muscle and speed up metabolism, which in turn fuels energy to stay fit.
McDowell recommended tracking fitness goals using a digital tracker or some other tool. This can help alleviate the stress of remembering your routine and can allow you to track your progress with data.
Concluding, he said: “Consistency, accountability and self-responsibility are key – commit to showing up and focusing on progress, not perfection.”
Dr. Ormsbee’s advice reflects some of the advice McDowell highlighted. The orthopedic physiotherapist It has a three-pronged approach.
Start with data. She recommends using a tracker, whether a digital device or a journal, to catalog and organize your exercise routine.
Keeping track of your plan can help you feel more organized and clearer-minded about a goal, making you more likely to stick to it.
Additionally, he said, “There are numerous research studies that say that simply using a digital device to record your workout can improve your enthusiasm for doing the next workout, as well as your adherence to the program.”
To achieve this, you can use the tracking apps built into your smartphone, you can create a paper exercise planner, or you can invest in technology designed specifically for that purpose, like a Garmin smartwatch.
Both McDowell and Dr. Ormsbee recommended paying attention to factors that affect motivation and mental well-being. Having a solid mental foundation makes it easier to stay consistent with physical goals.
Next, McDowell said it’s important to “be mindful of your workouts.”
This includes focusing on how your workout benefits your body while you do it and how your body is functioning well.
Appreciating what your body is capable of, even in the early days of your fitness journey when you may feel weak, is important to staying motivated.
‘This may sound a little “woo”, but it’s not. There are several scientific researchers focusing on this area, which is an interesting area to promote on days when you’re not feeling very motivated.’
This includes a 2023 study of the Bath University. She reviewed 35 previous studies and found that incorporating both mindfulness and a fitness regimen improved overall well-being than practicing either alone.
Finally, McDowell recommends doing your best to motivate yourself with exercise as something good for you, not as a means to an end.
He said people who are motivated by a desire to take care of themselves, rather than external validation, such as losing weight to conform to more stereotypical but unrealistic beauty standards, are more likely to stick to their fitness goals. physical or well-being.
This was demonstrated in a 2018 Oxford study, which found that survey participants who had higher levels of self-motivation were more likely to have a consistent exercise routine.
McDowell said, “It’s great to post on social media to get encouragement and feedback, but if you’re doing it for outside reasons, it’s going to be harder to follow the program.”