It’s January and you all know what that means – New Year’s Resolutions are in full swing. If you are like me though, they may already be broken (never again will I attempt to give up chocolate forever!). This commonly happens when people set unrealistic expectations and find themselves exhausted and worn out from the holidays.
One resolution in particular that always seems to be popular is the resolution to exercise more. More can mean something different for everyone. It could mean at least once a week, three times a week, or even daily. On a side note, whenever you set a goal or resolution make sure to be specific in what you want. It’s hard to know when you’ve met your goal, otherwise!
Instead of “more” you could say, 90 minutes. If you are a sedentary individual, aiming to start exercising 3 times a week is pretty realistic. However, if you have not previously exercised at all, it would probably be too much to set a goal of 6 days a week.
I’ve created overambitious resolutions before and, believe me, I didn’t stick to them! In high school I was involved in sports so I was exercising every day after school – I felt great! However, after graduation I stopped making time for physical activity and became quite sedentary for about 6 months. That year I made a resolution to start running again – at least 5-6 days a week. I stuck with it too, until four days later when I pulled a muscle!
The lesson I learned? Start slowly and ease yourself into physical activity. For running, I learned that it’s best to increase your mileage by 10% each week (instead of 100% like I tried!). For other activities it would be a safe bet to allow at least one day of rest between workouts until you build up your fitness level. Your exercise sessions should also slowly increase in time. If you are able to exercise, say, 10 minutes continuously right now, you could try to tack on an additional 5 minutes each week.
In addition to reducing the likelihood of injuries that come with increasing your exercise too quickly, it’ll be easier to stick to a goal that only requires small changes to your daily schedule. As you become accustomed to adding in 15 minutes of exercise three days a week, adding in one more day won’t seem as daunting.
Do you make resolutions every year? Have you been able to stick with them? If so, what has worked for you?
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