What Happens to Fitness Goals after January?

January is well and truly behind us and we are now into February. The dark gloom of the post-Christmas period has left us and we can now focus on spring, lighter evenings and moving towards summer.

But what happens to all the goals (remember them?) that we made for 2020? Now that Dry January/Veganury/Exercise all January has passed, how do the next 11 months look, in terms of how we actually stick to all those new promises that we made?

The answer is pretty straightforward, but it requires changes on your part. For many of us, short-term changes are fairly manageable. We can focus on the next 4-6 weeks and abstain from alcohol, avoid the chocolate or add some regular fitness sessions to our schedule. But these changes rarely stick, this is often because we aren’t thinking of them long-term. We may tell ourselves that our new exercise regime/diet/hobby is forever, but are we actually taking the right steps in order to make that happen?

Prioritise - when you start a new exercise it can be daunting to try and find the time to fit it in. We are all incredibly busy these days and the idea of adding something else to the list can feel overwhelming. If you accept that some other things may slide, or you may need to change in order to accommodate regular exercise then you are MUCH more likely to keep it going into the future and ensure that it becomes and remains a part of your routine. Changes such as using part of your commute as exercise time (walking, running or cycling) getting up 30 minutes earlier to fit it in, or swapping a social engagement for a fitness session are all ways to make it work.

Use the right language - and we don’t mean swearing when you are trying to run to the top of a steep hill! Opt for words such as ‘habit’ over ‘hobby’ and ‘when’ not ‘if’ and be precise. If you say to someone “I’m going for a run at 9:15 on Saturday morning at Hollybush” you are more likely to do it than if you casually say “I might go for a run this week”. And think of it as a positive and not a negative. If you think of exercise as something that makes you fitter, healthier and makes you look and feel better. It will be a much more appealing prospect than something that you think of as difficult, sweaty and tiring!

Make a commitment - and this often involves joining a club or making a plan with someone else. It is so much easier to not do something if you aren’t accountable to someone else. If you feel like you have made a financial investment or that you have promised to meet someone then you are more likely to do it as you may feel like you are letting someone else down. Exercise with another person or with a group can also be much more fun than doing it alone and this is another reason for sticking at it.

Habits are not formed overnight and they can take anywhere from 30 - 90 days (depending on which research you believe!) to become ingrained into our lives. So although you may have had a successful January and are now feeling fitter, healthier and stronger, have you done enough to carry it through for the rest of the year, and hopefully for long into the future? If not then that’s fine, there is still time! The key is to not give up. Stick at it, keep it consistent and make it work for you. Forever!