So here we are, in 2023…I know, I can’t believe it either! If, like many others, your last few weeks of 2022 were spent eating chocolate, drinking mulled wine and partying a little too hard (we’ve all been there) then you probably want to get back into the swing of things when the New Year starts.
I’ve got a handful of tips and tricks here in this blog that will set you up to a great start to the year and will stick with you for many years to come.
1. Don’t shy away from weight training
- It will improve your strength levels and fitness levels: take note of how easy every day tasks such as grocery shopping become when your body is stronger. I also find that your mental strength can be improved when you are challenging your mindset when you are adding extra weights into your routine…you can do anything!
- Reduce the risk of injury: weight training doesn’t just strengthen your muscles it also helps increase bone density which lowers the risk of bone fractures and breaks. It doesn’t stop there either, adding resistance training to your regime also improves joint mobility preventing injuries.
- Boost your confidence: this doesn’t have to be associated with your physical appearance. There’s no better feeling than reaching a personal best on a squat or hip thrust or even holding a plank for a moment longer than what you did in your last workout. And if you are starting to see your body change shape and gain some muscle definition, that’s a bonus too! You will start to see a shift in your self-esteem either way.
- Helps aid fat loss:: when you lift weights your body will build lean muscle and the more muscle your body has, the quicker your metabolism will work. So even though you might not be burning hundreds of calories in one workout alone, your body will be burning calories throughout the day after your workout.
- Reduces your stress levels: rather than sulking into a bottle of wine after a hectic day at work, head down to the gym! It’s a perfect stress reliever from a busy working day and don’t forget those exercises releasing endorphins will improve your mood…especially if you take your frustration out on a deadlift and achieve a PB!
2. It’s time to step things up
If Santa didn’t bring you a fitness watch for Christmas then try to grab a tracker in the January sales. It doesn’t have to be the highest spec model. But a basic watch, that can tell the time and track your steps is a great way to monitor your activity levels, when you’re not on the gym floor.
Aim for 10,000 – 15,000 steps a day if you live a sedentary lifestyle (examples of this being a desk worker who drives to work), which may seem like quite a high step intake but here’s some quick wins on how to hit your goal:
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator: yep that’s right, even if your office is on the fourth floor…no excuses!
- Try and get a 30 minute walk in on your lunch break: get away from your screen and boost your step count in and it’s a win win! Grab your coat and a colleague and go for a walk around the office blocks, or try and find a nearby park to do a couple of laps around.
- Make your social calendar more active: rather than meeting your old school friends for a G&T, why not suggest a nice scenic walking route somewhere you’ve never been before? You can explore a National Trust Park with friends and family and even any four-legged friends!
3. Portion control
It may seem like extra fuss to grab the scales to measure out those cashew nuts, but becoming more mindful about what you put into your body and how much is a great weigh (see what I did there) to become more aware and familiar with portion sizes.
It is mandatory in the UK that packaging of food must display nutritional information which is half of the battle here, what you do need to be mindful of is what serving size the nutritional information is based on. For example you grab a bag of nuts that are 150 calories per 30g – and you eat the entire bag. What you didn’t realise is that in a fine print somewhere is that the bag wasn’t a 30g serving, it was actually a serving for two, meaning you’ve ate double the amount of calories without thinking. Now it’s not the end of the world for eating two servings, but these hidden servings can creep up so if you are not seeing results this could be why.
4. Create healthy habits to lead to a healthier lifestyle
Don’t succumb to the trend of fad diets, don’t be sucked in by one of your favourite influencers promoting a diet plan that claims to lose 10 pounds in 10 days and I beg you to not go subscribing to anything that has the word ‘skinny tea’ in it.
Start by making small tweaks to your current lifestyle rather than big changes that are hard and unrealistic to maintain. You’re more likely to see long-term results, when you start off with smaller changes to your lifestyle. My top three tweaks to start off with would be:
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- Add more vegetables into your meals: You don’t have to sign up to veganuary and you certainly don’t need to order a ‘12 week juice plan’ to get your nutrients into your diet. From breakfast to dinner, try and add a portion of fruit or vegetables to your meal. My go-to-tip when it comes to vegetable shopping is to eat seasonally as they’ll taste better and produce that is in season is likely to be in offers and promotions at the supermarket too. Check out this website Eat Seasonably for a guide on what fruit and vegetables are in season all year round.
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- Drink more water: Always have a glass of water in eye distance at all times to make sure you’re keeping hydrated. You want to be drinking around two to three litres of water daily. Drinking water has so many benefits (but we’ll save that for another blog post) that help aid fat loss so make sure you’re getting the H2O in throughout the day. If plain water isn’t your thing, try low calorie sparkling flavoured water (my clients swear by these to help curb sugar cravings too!)
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- Find a routine that works for you: don’t feel pressured to set your alarm at 5am and head to the gym just because you see that fitness influencer on Instagram doing it. Someone else’s fitness routine may not always work to your schedule. Don’t be unrealistic with your goal setting either, if you know you can’t do 6 workouts a week then don’t commit to it – try 2-3 workouts a week to begin with while you find a way to find a balance.
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- Make it sociable and enjoy something you enjoy doing: the thought of running on a treadmill to do a cardio workout may not be very desirable for you, so why not bring a friend along for a run around the park? If you don’t have any friends to bring along on the fitness journey with you, then why not look to make acquaintances at social events such as a Zumba class or aerobics class in your local area?
5. Don’t compare yourself to others
And lastly, I would strongly recommend you don’t scroll and screenshot those ‘bikini body models’ and set them as your background. While this might be deemed as motivation these comparisons aren’t realistic. You should not be focussing on anyone else’s body apart from your own.
I advise taking some downtime on social media as this is such a culprit for causing people to compare lifestyles with bloggers and influencers they don’t even know.
I’d also advise you to keep a journal and jot down your thoughts on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be ‘dear diary, my hot boss walked past me today’, but just bullet points on what went well in your day or something that didn’t go too great and how you are going to solve the problem.
Not every workout is going to be a record breaking workout and not every day is going to be a day where you stick to your diet and hit your steps, and that’s fine, you’re human! No journey is linear so make sure you’re trying to maintain a positive outlook and looking at the progress ahead.
If you need support on your own fitness journey and are ready to make the positive changes in your lifestyle today. I want to work with you! Get in touch and let’s start off the year strong!
