Ah, January! The time when cosy indulgence gives way to the onslaught of “New Year, New You!” messaging, and half of the internet wants you to buy their workout series and the other half is telling you that their amazing supplement will burn all your belly fat, earn you a fortune while you sleep and grant you three wishes. I titled this post “Steady as she goes” to remind you that it is not necessary to make sudden sweeping changes to see improvements in your health and activity.
Reaffirm Your Commitment
You are on this journey for a reason. You want better health, more energy, less pain, better mood. It could be that you are becoming more active as part of a weight loss journey, it could be that you have other goals in mind. This is a great time of year to take stock of what the true reasons for becoming more active are and re-commit. Illness, injury and chronic conditions? We’ve got you! Surgery planned or completed? Prehab and rehab are all really great reasons to commit to your physical activity in a safe and consistent way.
If you’ve had a long break from activity, you can always restart your EXI programme. In the app, tap your profile picture, scroll to “Prescription/Programme” and then restart. If you’re finding restarting at your previous level unachievable, then go back to the beginning.
Be Consistent - Make Sustainable Changes
Overcommitting to a new year’s regime and then burning out before February is a very common thing. It’s tempting to make sweeping changes and go for the whole “Out with the old, in with the new” mentality. But it’s far better to be moderately active over the course of the whole year, than to be intensively active in January and then go back to more sedentary habits for the rest of the year.
One of the reasons EXI works is because it’s a slow, sustainable lifestyle change in becoming more physically active. Starting where you can comfortably begin and slowly increasing your activity levels over time is a tried, tested and sustainable way of improving health in a way that works consistently.
Anything is Everything!
It’s easy to compare ourselves to others and feel disheartened or that we’re doing things wrong, especially when it comes to health and physical activity. But the only person who matters is YOU! If you’re incorporating physical activity into your everyday life, making slow but consistent progress, and getting back up again when you hit a speed bump, you’re doing great!
Listen to your body - some discomfort/stiffness can be normal after being active, but if your pain levels are increasing, speak to your doctor/physio, or try to find an activity that has a lower impact on the joints/sites that are causing you pain!
Plan and Share!
I asked our Dr Lou what were some of her tips to stay consistent and motivated with physical activity and here were her top tops!
1) Make a plan - add your exercise and activity to your schedule, allow yourself time for it! This makes it more realistic that you will actually get around to doing it!
2) Identify your support person - this could be an activity buddy, someone who will encourage you and motivate you, or someone who might provide more practical support like a lift to the gym, or babysit while you get out for a walk. Keep them updated with your goals and progress!
3) Plan for the obstacles. If you’re too tired for a planned class, maybe try some low-impact activity, or some stretching instead. If the weather is terrible, pop one of the EXI video activities on and do a home workout!
What are your motivators and plans for this weekend or next week? I’d love to hear!
