There is a lot of debate about New Years Resolutions and if they are even ‘the thing to do’ anymore. Without fail, when the clock strikes 12 on 31st December, thousands of people the world over vow to change their life through a new fitness regime. So what are those fitness resolutions actually doing for us, should we only wait until the start of each new year to introduce them, do they work and how many are just too many?

Same old promise, different new year

Every new year it’s the same, our feed is full of lots of people using #goalsetting and setting themselves up for a year of documenting their journey to winning, which we’ve probably all witnessed can quickly become a very quiet backdoor withdrawal from talking about the goals they were going so hard with during the first few weeks of January.

Should you only make resolutions at the start of a new year?

Absolutely not! You can make a resolution any time – and you should – If it’s realistic and it’s something you genuinely want to work towards. You can’t only hope for things to change once a year, nor do they. Our world is changing in front of our eyes and so can your goals.

We don’t think setting goals is a bad or ‘wrong’ thing to do, we just believe that if you’re going to do it, you need to know what it is you’re working towards. Lots of people come into Sarah Kent Personal Training and say they want to lose weight – but is that really your goal, or simply the goal people expect of you? Maybe you just want to meet people, it can be quite monotonous training on your own and have only yourself to rely on for motivation. 

Maybe you’ve been going to the gym for ages, but you want someone to help you level up in terms of the techniques you use and the exercise programmes you follow.

Whatever your reasons for joining the gym, they have to be your goals – not influenced by what you see going on around you, or how you think society wants you to look. The truth is that the number of minerals and nutrients that are supporting your immune system, your general wellbeing and your vital organs ability to keep working, could be under massive pressure and in need of an MOT whether you’re a size 6 or a 26.

 

So here are our top tips to set some fire fitness resolutions for 2022!

  • Invest time in taking progress pictures or even treat yourself to a progress diary!

Tracking how you feel about your goal week to week is such a good way to reflect and see the distance you’ve travelled once you meet your goal and at various points of your journey. Take pictures once a month ready for your pic collage at the end of the year and give yourself the credit you deserve! Just think about what it will feel like 12 months from now when you’ve done exactly what you set out to do and the transformation.

  • Find a goal friend or a community

Sharing your highs and lows with someone going through a similar journey can really help you stay on track and find that sense of camaraderie. You can share tips and tricks, train together and a little healthy competition to get the most out of that gym session can have you reaching new personal bests in no time.

  •  Be clear about what you’re working towards

Looser pants, going down- a dress size, losing X amount of inches, or just getting to the top of the stairs without feeling out of breath! Whatever your goal, set it, get ready by setting a daily reminder to move your body to get there, and remember to go easy on yourself if it doesn’t go to plan straight away – but always take the time to reflect on why it didn’t work and what you could do differently so that it doesn’t happen again.

  • Don’t deny yourselves all of life’s pleasures

It’s easy to be inspired by the #fitnessinspo hashtag and dream our days away thinking about that transformation, but by completely denying ourselves of life’s pleasures – you are certain to fall flat at the first sign of a bottomless brunch, or a Netflix and Nando’s. We say it all the time, but no food is particularly “bad”, it comes down to how much, how often and how long you think about it before you decide if it’s worth the exchange of calories you’ve burnt this week. Think about it.

For more hints and tips, join our mailing list or follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sk.pt_/