January resolutions: Get off the couch, get moving

Even with the best intentions we can all struggle to stay committed to our new year fitness resolutions. By this third week of January, many of us are feeling guilty about our lack of progress. The initial enthusiasm may be waning and we risk falling back into old habits.

Stop feeling guilty about missing training sessions or your high targets and instead make some simple changes for the rest of the month and avoid ending up back on the couch.

Focus on weekly goals

For the next few weeks, let the huge life goals you set take a back seat. Instead, pick a realistic goal for this week ahead. Work out what is practical for you to do this week and commit to it. If you achieve this week’s goal, you are significantly more likely to move into next week feeling positive about what you can achieve.

Make a realistic plan

Look at your diary for the week and select the times when it is realistic for you to fit in exercise. Don’t overcommit. Write these dates into your diary and treat them like a meeting appointment. You wouldn’t cancel a meeting at last minute, so don’t cancel your exercise for something that can wait until later. If you do need to cancel a session, make sure it is rescheduled for later in the day, not cancelled. At the end of the week, review your progress and plan ahead for the new week.

Hold back on intensity

Don’t do the equivalent of a crash diet and launch yourself into an intense exercise regime. We want to build a long-term routine and love for exercise in January. There are no real gains in a few tough training sessions if they are going to make you feel sore and knock your confidence. You need to return home feeling energised, positive and thirsty for more, not burned out and overwhelmed.

Build up gradually

As a runner who always takes a little break over Christmas, I ease back into my running in January by taking walk breaks along the way. In fact, for my first few runs in January, I don’t run at all, I just walk my running route. I return home feeling energised knowing I can do better again the next time. From a motivation perspective, it’s much harder to go out the door when you know a tough training session is ahead of you. Be nice to yourself and build up gradually.

Measure success in minutes

It’s very easy to get caught up in pace, speed and kilometres. Almost all of us are slower than we would like to be at this time of year. Instead of comparing your speed to your personal best, focus instead on spending a certain amount of time taking part in the exercise you enjoy. Remember, it’s all about building routine. Once you build the routine and have no problem getting out the door for 30 minutes, you can then increase your intensity as you wish.

Focus on enjoyment

There is plenty of time later in the year to get faster and stronger. In January, we want to try to find our exercise mojo again. Set yourself the goal in January to choose to enjoy what you do. Focus on the nature, keep your pace comfortable, don’t be afraid to slow down or stop as you need to. Be mindful of how lucky you are to be able to get out and move.

Choose to enjoy exercise and change your attitude to a positive one. Exercise and movement is something you are lucky enough to be able to do, not something you have to do.

Do it for someone else

If you spend your day thinking up excuses to avoid exercise, you need a different approach. Turn things around and make your exercise a positive for someone else.

Offer to walk someone’s dog, agree to accompany a beginner on their training session, set up a lunchtime walking group at work or agree to meet a friend for a run.

When you are accountable to someone else, you make more of an effort. You just do it and waste less time procrastinating and inventing excuses.

Go out early

If you can, try to do your training session early in the day. It will set you up for a wonderfully smug day when you will want to eat heathier and you will feel more alert and focused. This is not always possible but, when you can, make the time early in the day.

You are starting your day as a success and can avoid looking at the weather all day, putting off your exercise and inventing excuses.

The year is long

Finish January by having created a positive routine and a habit of getting out the door. It doesn’t matter what you do when you get out there.

Train yourself this month to just get up and get out and leave the excuses at home. There is plenty of time later in the year to build on your fitness. Start small and start simple but just get started this January.

Mary Jennings is founder and running coach with ForgetTheGym.ie. Mary trains beginners and marathoners and everyone in between to enjoy running and stay injury free. Mary is also the creator of the Irish Times Get Running programmes.