You probably started the inevitable health kick back in January but have you been able to keep it up so far? The harsh reality is that New Year’s resolutions usually last less than the first 30 days of the year, but there’s plenty you can do to not bail on your own plans.
Thriva is all about getting people engaged in their health and improving it. That’s why we’ve partnered up with them to offer you these 3 simple nuggets of advice on how to help your health kick become a solid habit!
1) The power of goal setting
Don’t jump into your health kick blindly. Instead, have a set of goals in mind for what you want to achieve. When it comes to goal setting, try to follow the SMART framework – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely goals. Some examples from our office are to run a total of 5 marathons in 2017 or to reduce body fat by 2% in 6 months’ time. So even if you already set your goals back on January first, go over them again and make sure they are SMART. Once you have these in place you should look to set mini-milestones that you track progress against – think about them your own mini-goals.
2) Understand the role of diet
Dieting is temporary and not a sustainable solution. To make a lasting improvement to your diet, you need to start by understanding what it is you’re putting into your body. For this, we love apps like MyFitnessPal which tells you the macronutrient intake (proteins, carbohydrates and fats) required to achieve your optimal body composition. The app will essentially tell you if you’ve over-indulged in biscuits and whether you have to balance it out with some veggies or protein. Logging every single meal for an entire year is not realistic, but do this consistently for two weeks and you’ll have a solid understanding of what you should be eating to achieve your goal. The moment you feel like your diet has gone down hill again, just repeat the two-week process.
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3) Exercising made easier
When joining a gym you’re typically locked into an expensive contract with a seasonally inflated joining fee – signing up for a one-year contract did seem like a great idea at the time. Good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Services such as PayAsUGym or ClassPass give you the freedom of gym access when and where you want. If you’re not one for the gym, then look to get your exercise through sports and classes. Platforms like Meetup have an array of free exercise events that provide a great forum to meet other people on a health kick. This brings us onto our final point on exercise – get yourself an exercise buddy! Getting out of bed to go for a run on a cold morning can be incredibly difficult, but the fear of letting down your mate is a powerful thing.
Our closing piece of advice would be to make sure you track your progress. Motivation comes from seeing the results of your hard work. Put check-in dates in your diary now and stay accountable – good luck!